Eternal Bonds
by Bre17
Summary: Chapter Ten: A storm? This is just great.. first I nearly die at the hands of my phobia, and now we're stuck. Can things get any worse?
1. So It Begins

BRE17: Hello minna-san! I decided to rewrite this story, due to it not getting many reviews, and another fact that it's too mary-sue appearently. I'm sorry once it again that it took me so long, but things have been crazy. Oh, and just for the record? I HATE MEN.

Please enjoy the story and review!

Chapter One– So It Begins

_Darkness... nothing but darkness..._

_Shadows blacker then night completely surrounded me, rendering me helpless of moving anywhere; I watched with slight fear as the black mist slowly_

_but steadily crept and slid up my legs. " No.. No!" I whispered, eyes widening in horror. The darkness started to reach my thighs, then it covered my waist and lower stomach;_

_Within seconds, the terrifying darkness had blanketed almost have my body, and I was beginning to lose hope as a wicked laugh echoed around me, dark and sinister._

_' That's right, just give in..' The voice cooed, sounding so close it was if someone was standing right behind me, talking into my ear._

_' Let it embrace you...' For a split second, I actually considered just letting go, to sleep forever without anymore pain. But then I thought of everyone else, my mother, my sister and brothers, my father, and my friends.. _

_I couldn't just leave them all behind!  
_

_Gathering up my strength, I pulled against my shadowy bonds as hard as I could muster, eventually tearing through them and freeing myself._

_Wanting to distance myself from the haunting voice, I sped off further into the dark abyss. But I didn't get as far as I wanted when the dark tendrils grabbed me again; _

_As I struggled to desperately free myself, I felt something cold and sharp poke at my stomach and looked up to see a figure holding a sword in front of me as I was forced down to my knees by the darkness. _

_Again, I heard the voice against my ear the same time the dangerous weapon rammed it's way through my navel._

_**Game over.**_

The birds were already singing their own individual melody by the time the sun had begun to make it's entrance early in the morning; painting the skyline in a gorgeous display of light blue streaked with pink.

In a quiet neighborhood of Gresham, one of it's younger citizens was beginning to stir.

A young woman roughly around her late-teens laid spiraled in her lilac colored bed, a mass of red-golden hair barely sticking out from underneath the covers.

Sunlight began to shimmer faintly through the barrier of cloth that was her curtains, dimly lighting up the small room while the clock beside her bed buzzed softly.

Suddenly, the cell-phone resting on the girl's night stand, singing loudly and cheerful while vibrating so hard that it was moving towards the edge of the surface it was laying on.

A slim hand shot out from under the mess of blankets and grasped the small machine with long, tanned fingers. No longer on the verge of falling to the floor below. A head emerged from the sea of purple cloth, her hair all frizzled and matted.

Yawning, the young girl flipped the phone open and pressed a few buttons before setting it down again and turned onto her back, rubbing her face with the back of her hand.

(1st POV)

At first I just laid there, waiting for my brain to wake up and for my mind to clear before I did anything. Who am I?

My name is Beverly, Beverly Evans_**. **_But most of my family and friends call me Bev.

I watched the birds fly by with sleepy eyes, noting the dreary weather. ' Rain again?' My mind grumbled. ' Isn't it supposed to be summer?' Not that summer's heat was the most comfortable, but I personally was starting to get sick of this gloomy weather.

I pulled myself into a sitting position and expelled a large yawn, causing the tiny feline at my feet to twitch her ears. I smiled at the animal's cuteness before swinging my legs over the edge of the bed and stood up.

Want to know why I was getting up so early in the morning on a summer day? Sadly, I have summer classes to go to. But on the bright side, it only last's for three weeks.

After I had taken a warm thirty minute shower and changed into a fresh set of clothes, which consisted of a light-blue colored jeans, and a black-shirt with a grey-jacket over it, I found myself upstairs in the living room sitting on the love-seat while eating a pop-tart.

"..According to today's forecast, today is going to be cloudy with a light chance of rain–"

I swallowed my mouthful of food and scowled over at the Tv screen as if it had just insulted me.

' Knew it...'

Finished with my food, I rose to my feet and quietly walked into the kitchen to dump the leftovers in the garbage. I glanced at the clock on the stove out of habit as I placed my dish in the sink.

' 7:21..' I mused. ' Not quite time, but good enough.'

I made my way back into the living room__and plopped down on the small couch, leaning down to slip on my shoes and tie them neatly so I wouldn't trip and fall on my way to school. I had a knack for doing that since I was young.

Scooping up my summer backpack, a small one that I usually used to carry books from and to the library, I swung it over my shoulder and slipped my arms through the straps.

I moved across the carpet and towards the entertainment center, switching off the TV before opening the front door. I stepped through the doorway, stopping for a short moment to glance over my shoulder at the quiet living room, and smiled.

' See you later, guys..' I thought warmly, referring to my still sleeping family. Then I closed the door firmly behind me. I made sure the front door was locked, then I stepped off the porch and inhaled deeply, taking in the fresh air of the early morning.

The green vegetation which had yet to wilt and stiffen glittered with the morning due, giving it a pretty picture that it was glass instead of the real thing.

I shouldered my bag more firmly before I began to walk briskly off my home's property and up the road of my small, quiet neighborhood. I passed some houses where a few people were getting ready to go off as well, while the rest of them were silent. Indicating the people inside were still sleeping.

By the time I had made it to the busy main road, the sun had strengthened it's light and warmed up the chilly air. ' I guess the newscast was wrong after all..' I thought with a sense of satisfaction.

A loud hum brought me back to the real world. I focused my attention in front of me in time to see something yellow fly past me at a pretty fast speed.

" Huh? What was that?" I wondered aloud, scratching my head. " Oh well. Probably just really big bug or something.." I started to move foreword again, intent on getting to school in time. But I had walked no more then half a foot when I heard the buzzing again.

I halted for a second time. Just as I looked to me left where the park laid below me, I managed to catch sight of the yellow blur heading right towards me. A small gasp of surprise left my mouth; and instinctively I raised my arm and smacked whatever charged at me as hard as I could.

I cracked an eye open when I hard the humming continue. Right in front of me, was the largest bee I had ever seen in my life. It was almost as big as my almost one year-old kitten, Zoe for crying out loud!

" Holy shit..!" I gaped, staring at my huge bug assailant with wide and disbelieving eyes. Unfortunately for me, my mind had not yet registered the danger. The hornet recovered from it's temporary dizzy spell and focused it's attention on it's prey once more.

Making an angry buzz sound, it charged at me yet again at a fast speed. I crossed my arms in front of my face in a effort to protect myself, yet also ready to whack it away from me. Hopefully killing it this time.

I waited a second to long, though. The moment I swung my arm was at the exact same second I felt a extreme sharp pain stab through my hand just as I made contact with the creature. It fell to the ground, stunned from the hard blow I had given it.

I breathed in and out heavily, as if I had just ran the spring mile run all over again. Damn insect.

It buzzed and flailed around on the hard concrete, desperately attempting to get back into the air again. I brought my foot to it's level and kicked it as best as I could into the park below me. It ended up landing into the bushes just above the playground with a small rustle.

After managing to get my breathing under control to small pants, I lifted my hand so that it was eye level with my face. The normally tan skin of my hand was now red from making contact with the irritated hornet, and was sensitive to the touch, but it had yet to begin swelling.

I glanced at my watch that adorned the same hand. " Damn it all!" I cursed out loud, dropping my hand and sprinting across the street. ' I'm going to be late if I don't hurry!'

Thankfully I had made it just in time with at least five minutes to spare. A friend of mine by the name of Kitty had been waiting for me in the main lobby. She cast me a weird look at the sight of my profile, but before I had a chance to explain, Mr. Barry, one of the teachers in charge of the summer program, came out of nowhere and shooed us and the rest of the students off to class.

BREAK-TIME, SCIENCE ROOM; 10:21 AM

I leaned back in my chair while stretching out my stiff muscles, letting out a yawn as the students around me gathered up their things and left the classroom, heading towards their next lesson. Kitty, as well as I, had science again. But we sat at the back of the class during the second period, working on alternate assignments.

I gave my arms a final stretch and lowered them down onto the desk again, wincing and biting the inside of my cheek to refrain from whimpering when my left hand throbbed horribly for the hundredth time that morning.

The huge hornet had managed to nail me after all. Halfway through the first period my hand had begun to hurt and sting like crazy, making it nearly impossible to write without making it worse.

" Hey, Bev."

I pulled my mind away from my thoughts and turned my attention to the girl in front of me, looking up at my younger friend in question.

The fifteen year old plopped down in her seat next to me with a grunt, raking a hand through her short dark hair.

" Do you mind coming with me to a vending machine?" She asked, sounding a bit hesitant. " I.. Don't want to get lost on the way back.."

Ah, before Kitty had transferred Spring Water High, she had attended Barlow, a rival school of Gresham. So it was only natural she didn't really know her way around her.

I coughed behind my hand in order to hide the small grin that appeared on my face and looked to the side. " Sure. But let's hurry, class will start in ten minutes."

The brunette nodded in agreement and stood up from her chair. I followed suit and trailed after her as the younger girl exited the classroom and hurried down the hallway. I gently took a hold of her arm and steered her out one of the doors, leading her into another entrance before walking down that hall as well.

Just as we passed the attendance window, Kitty surprised me by grabbing my arm instead and pulled me into a smaller room. We came to a halt in front of a heavy-set blue painted door that I had yet to recognize. The younger teen rapped on the door a few times with her knuckle before standing back to wait.

" Come in."

Accepting the invitation, Kitty twisted the door knob and pulled open the wooden barrier. Curious to wear this was leading, I leaned around my best friend to see who was in the room.

" Ms. Wells!" I gasped, startled to see my old school nurse. Ms. Wells was a petite woman like my mother, with shoulder length pale hair and kind brown eyes behind her frames that she usually wore during her work-hours.

" Oh, hello Bev!" The nurse greeted me warmly, smiling at Kitty and I. " It's been awhile. Come in, come in!"

Not wanting to be rude, I did just that. Stepping into the room after the other girl.

" Ms. Wells, right?" Kitty questioned. The woman nodded her head, prompting Kitty to continue. " Could you take a look a Bev's hand? I think something's wrong with it."

I snapped my head in the brunette's direction, eyes wide with disbelief. So this was what she was planning to do, the little sneak!

Yet I did not protest as Ms. Wells gently took a hold of my sensitive hand, carefully examining it with expert eyes.

" What on earth did you do to your poor hand?" She exclaimed in concern, loosening her grip slightly so she could roll back in her chair and slid open a drawer in her desk, where she kept most of her disinfect medicine.

" It look's like you got into a fight with a stone wall." Kitty muttered with a light snicker, earning a small glare in her direction.

" Eh.. Not exactly." I huffed, plopping down in a sit next to the desk. " I just had the misfortune of running into a very unhappy hornet." Then I continued to explain what had happened in those few short minutes with my encounter with the angry insect.

" I'll say." Ms. Wells sighed, releasing my hand so she was free to pour she disinfect medicine on a clean cotton ball. She then proceeded to press it to my injured limb, ignoring my hiss of pain and protest.

" _Damn_..." Kitty whistled, after getting a good look at the mangled hand. " Now I'm really afraid of bees."

After making sure she had throughly cleaned the puncture wound, Ms. Wells pulled a roll of soft-looking bandages from another drawer and began to wrap them around my swollen hand. Careful not to irritate the injury more.

" Now, I want you to have Anne take a look at this when you get home." The older woman instructed while cleaning up what little mess she made. " And if your feeling the slightest bit woozy later, tell your mother immediately, understood?"

I withheld a groan, muttering my constant instead to appease the woman. All the while Kitty was snickering behind me. She probably though it was funny how I was getting scolded like a child.

AT HOME, BEDROOM 6:15 PM

I rubbed the back of my eyes tired with my uninjured hand, having to have just woken up from a nap. Man, gotta love those. They did just the trick to get rid of most of my headaches. Just as I swung my legs over the edge of my bed, my bedroom door burst open and a pretty brunette a few years older then her came running in, heading over to her dresser which was right next to my bed.

" Good, your up." My older sister, Amanda, said distractly as she rummaged through her top drawer for something to pull her hair up with.

" Mom and I are leaving with the boys. What time is Sammy coming?" I pushed myself to my feet and stiffled another yawn behind my hand as I shuffled past her and picked up a light blue brush.

" Soon. I think she said some time between 6:00 and 7:00." I repiled while running the brush through my matted bed-hair in attempt to fix it. " Even if she comes late, or not at all, it doesn't matter Mandy. I've stayed home numerous times before now."

My elder sister paused slightly before resuming pulling her short hair into a ponytail, a faint frown on her face. " I know, Bevie. But dangerous creeps have been appearing around lately. I would feel better knowing you had someone with you, Mom would agree with me."

I made a face at Amanda and turned my back to her and swept my now smooth and untangled hair ever my shoulder, causing it to tumble to a stop at my waist.

Behind me, I heard the older girl sigh, seconds later a hand gripped my shoulder and turned me around to face her.

" Listen, Beverly." Amanda said gently, yet her hazel eyes had a serious look to them. " I know, Mom know's, that your capable of defending yourself. But you never know what could happen, so it's better to be safer then sorry."

" Amanda! Let's go!" Our mother shouted from the top of the stairs. " Coming!" Mandy shouted back, making me wince slightly since she had been so close to me when she had raised her voice. " Okay, we're going to be going now. You have both our cellphone numbers, right? Call us if you need anything, alright?"

I nodded and stepped back, forcing my sister to release her grip on my shoulders; After giving me one last hug, I watched Amanda run up the stairs with her bag in hand, shouting for Mom to wait up. I shook my head and closed the bedroom door again. A quick change of clothes was in order if I was going to have a guest.

Just as I finished pulling on a fresh dark grey shirt, I heard the doorbell echo loudly. ' Sammy's early..' I mused, picking up my light grey jacket and slipping it on as I hurried up the stairs;

Zipping the coat a little, I reached forwards and opened the front door: There, standing in front of me was a girl about my age, just about a year younger. With auburn colored, extremely wavy hair and red brown eyes the often shown with mischief.

" Your early," I stated in amusement, repeating the though that had gone through my head a second ago. " So, are you read to clean?"

Hours later, Sammy and I were still downstairs in my room, wearing old clothes with our hair tied back and bandannas to keep our bangs out of our face.

"Is that it?" 

"Yeah." 

"Thank God." Sammy set the last of the boxes down and surveyed the room. "I thought we'd never get your closet cleaned out, Bev!" 

I winced. "Thanks a lot. It isn't that bad--"

"--anymore." My best friend finished with a grin. She stepped into my walk in closet and took a deep breath. "It smells clean in here, too." 

I stepped in behind her and pointed to the neatly hanging clothes going along the wall. "That's because all the clothes in here are clean. The clothes on the floor have been in here for who knows how long."

Really. I don't know. My closet is huge and the last time I cleaned it out maybe was...two months ago. Like my mom says, I need to learn to be more responsible. Or, something like that. 

"Oh, ew. You know, you need to clean in here more often." 

"I'm neat when I want to be." 

"Uh-huh, sure." Sammy set the last of the boxes on the back shelf of my closet. "Phew. All done. And it only took us...what? About three hours?" 

I walked out behind her and shut the door. "Yeah. Too bad. I planned my whole afternoon around this." 

She pulled my covers up from my bed. "Underneath the bed needs to be cleaned, too..." 

"Do you want to be here until midnight?" 

"I could, considering this is Summer Break, but...I think I'd rather be doing something more interesting." Sammy grabbed her bag and keys from my neatly made bed and threw the backpack over her shoulder.

"Want to go out for coffee and maybe go out for a movie? We could call Jesscia and Andrea...They'd probably like to go."

I followed Sammy back up the stairs from the basement, to the living room. Movie? Was she kidding? With all this homework I have to do?

"Eh...Thanks, but I think I'll relax a little and maybe take a nap." I replied, opening the front door for her.  
She turned to face me as she went out.

"Yes. Take advantage of the fact your two younger...annoying...bratty--" 

"I get the point, Sam ." 

"--younger siblings aren't here." She finished with a smirk.

"Okay, you, get out of here before I call my mom and send them after you." I held up my cell phone, trying not to burst out in fits of giggles at the expression on her face that said, 'you-wouldn't-dare-call-them...-would-you?'. I love my best friend. She makes me laugh.

"Okay. I'll call you!" Sammy bolted down the steps as fast as her short legs could carry her, car keys in hand and ready to go.

She likes my older sister and two brothers, but...they get on each other's nerves. A lot. She waved as she turned into the street and drove away. 

Darn. Now the house was too quiet. Even the cat was quiet, which was unusual for him. He'll usually cry all over the house until he finds someone to sleep on or play with.

A yawn came from one of my open suit cases I used while my trip in Maine, to visit my father. I peeked in, staring down at, not one but two balls of fur;

one had a white-fur coat with grey and black spreading from the top of his back to his tail and head, with some tan mixed in as well. the other smaller form was an white-apricot color, with a small, bunny-like tail instead of a long one like most cats.

I shook my head and moved away slowly, careful not to wake them up. Don't get me wrong, I loved my precious babies more then anything, but when they were both awake during the day, they would start to rough house with each other and create a lot of noise. Not to mention a big mess as well.

"Well, now what should I do?" I said, aloud to myself. Hmm. There's the computer... I could chat to my older sister's boyfriend, Will. Or I could play one of my brother's games that they left out... nah, I've played all of them too much for it to be any intresting.

Should I should watch a movie? I could watch kiss the girl, but it probably wouldn't hold my intrest long since I watched it too many times.

Smothering a yawn, I spared a glanced out the windows as I prepared to close the curtians for the night: the wind was now blowing harshly, rattling the windows a tiny bit as well as the fire-place grate, rain and hail the size of a baby's fist pounding down on the glass as if threatening to break through.

' Strange.. you'd think you would at least see the moon out...' I thought sleepily. ' Oh well..' Just when I thought I was going to collapse onto the couch right then and there, Whiskers low, deep growl of anger roused me into slight alertness.

" What is it, baby? is Zoe bothering you again?" I asked sympathically, peering back into the cardboard box. But Zoe was not there, but shivering and shaking behind a stack of fire wood on by the fire grate;

From the angle of my cat's hazel eyes were pointed, it looked like he was staring at something _outside_.

Frowning, I shifted the material of the curtain aside and cautiously peeked out; well, as best as I could anyway, it was pitch black out, along with all the rain and hail that was coming down.

Finally, I managed to make out a faint humanoid against the harsh sleet. It was a slight figure, making it obvious that my midnight visitor was a woman

" What's a person doing out in this weather..?" I murmured to myself in confusion. They had to be absolutely crazy to be out at this time of night and in this storm. Unless they were planning suicide...

" Me and my soft heart." I growled out, pushing up from the couch and striding across the living room. I grabbed my light jacket off of the post and slipped into it. Yeah, I bet you could figure out what I was doing.

After slipping out the door as quietly as I could, I ran down the porch steps and out from the under the house's shelter from the rain, sprinting towards the stranger with firm intentions.

" HEY!!" I shouted, raising my voice so it could be heard over the howling of the wind. " MISS! MISS!"

I stumbled over a fallen branch that had been torn off by the wind and stopped my approach, leaning against a nearby tree to regain my bearings.

' Ugh, dizzy...' I thought tiredly. ' Am I having a reaction to the sting?' Shoving those distracting thoughts aside, I shook my head to clear it and looked up. The woman stood a few feet away, identity still unknown thanks to the damn weather.

The strange woman stood on the hill that I reconginized to be the rivine that ran around my house. Usually the water barely came up past the rocks that stuck out from the bottom of the river, but when the rain and hail came down like this, it had a pretty good chance to flood.

I pushed against my support and continued towards the stranger, cursing myself inwardly as my world continued to spin and tilt.

By now I was nearly soaked to the bone, my hair pressed at my skull while it dripped down my face.

I pushed my bangs away from my face and reached for the woman right in front of me. " Come on, it's dangerous out here!" I heard myself shouting to the woman, offering a hand for her to take. " Hey..!"

But she disappeared. The moment my hand came close enough, she seemingly vanished into thin air. That was the moment I finally lost it. I let my knees buckle while a pressed my other hand to my head in vain. My vision began to fade in and out rapidly, and I felt myself begin to fall.

The last thing I ever heard or felt as I plunged into the biting, ice cold water below..

..Was the scream of the woman.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Bre17:

Hey, minna-san..! Again, I apologize for restarting my whole story and taking so long to finish it. Things have just been really hectic around here. Hopefully THIS time this story will make a lot more sense. Review to let me know how it is, please!

Here's a preview:

' Colette.. The chosen.. Symphonia?!'

" Your lucky Lloyd and Kai found you when they did."

" The Chosen's task is to regenerate the World and seal the desians."

"..My name is Kratos Aurion."

" You really shouldn't point that thing at inncoent people."

"..Who are you? Your mana.. Your not an elf, half-elf, nor or you human."


	2. New Turnabout

Chapter Two– Oracle's Light

" _Mmm..."_

_My eyes opened, and at first all I saw were blurs of blue and purple. Blinking, I pushed myself off of my stomach and onto my knees, rubbing my eyes to erase any sleep from them and looked at my surroundings._

_From the looks of it, I was in a field with all kinds of purple and blue flowers with impossibly sliver-white stems, located on the edge of a cliff. Behind me were two beautiful sliver waterfalls. _

' _This place is gorgeous, but...' I shook my head to clear it. ' Where the heck am I?' I continued to survey the area, taking some steps forewords as I did so; the flowers beneath my feet made gentle rustle sounds as I passed._

' _Man, so much fog...' I though, waving a hand in front of my face._

' _And it's pretty thick.' Suddenly I felt my body stiffen like a wooden board, my muscles coiling and tightening._

' _Why do I have a really __**bad**__ feeling that I really wasn't alone here?'_

_Someone was speaking to me, addressing me directly. But I could hardly understand or hear them._

' _Can't concentrate...' I thought dully, cradling my forehead in the palm of my hand. ' fading...'_

*~*

All at once my whole body seemed to 'awaken'. My mind booted up like a computer and I regained my bearings and senses.

With a gasp caught up in my throat, my body scrambled and jolted into a sitting position.

But unfortunately, my body didn't agree with the sudden movement and I felt immense pain light through my entire being like a wildfire, giving off sharp spasms every time I tried to move a part of my body.

I hissed through my teeth and allowed myself to fall back against soft cushions. Blinking several times to clear my vision, I turned my head to the side and groaned out softly as my head gave a dull throb in response.

' Who on earth was that woman?' I thought groggily, letting out a shuddering breath as, inch by inch, the feeling returned to my body. It wasn't a pleasant feeling.

I stared blankly at the birds as they flew by the window, while on the inside I felt myself breaking down; I could barely remember what had happened to me, and I wanted so badly to wake up from this nightmare.

And that's what got me the most. I knew this was no dream, but reality.

The soft click of the door opening brought me back to my senses. I glanced towards the doorway as best as I could without triggering another headache.

Standing there in the open way was a young woman about my age, possibly younger. She just stood there with one hand on the door knob while the other hand held what looked like a damp towel. Mouth parted slightly in surprise.

From what I could see of the girl's profile from where I was laying, she stood just under my sister's height of 5'5", with bright sun-colored that ran down her back and ended at her waist.

The young girl blinked her sky-blue eyes for the first time in the last several seconds, and her mouth formed a big smile as her mind began to register the scene before her.

" Oh, miss! Your awake!" The blond exclaimed brightly, hurrying over to my bedside. " How are you feeling? Do you need anything?"

I stared at the girl in mild shock, easily recognizing her face now that she was close enough.

' Colette... the chosen.. Symphonia..?!'

Mistaking my shock for something else, the younger teen clapped a hand over her mouth. " Oh, hold on a minute! I'll go get Miss Selena and the Profess–" Her sentence ended adurptly, hading to attempt to run out the door.

But she had turned to fast and tripped over her own feet.

" Oops!" The girl squeaked. The blond quickly got back to her feet, her face tinted from her embarssment.

The door creaked as it opened for the second time today. This time, two other women entered, obviously older then the other girl who stood in front of me.

One of the females had short sliver hair that barely made it past her jawline. Her eyes a unique violet-blue shade.

The second woman had the same color hair as the younger girl, so people who didn't know them could easily mistaken them as sisters. But instead of her eyes being a nice blue color as well, they were an astonishing emerald instead.

" Are you alright, Colette?" The older blond asked, hints of amusement present in her voice as she walked over to the Chosen. Her companion made a straight beeline towards me instead.

" I see your finally awake." The sliver-haired woman commented quietly, as the two blonds behind her easily fell into a cheerful and lively conversation. " Can you talk?"

I blinked at her in reply before I worked at speaking. " Where..?" I croaked, unable to finish the rest of my sentence. The elven woman spared me a sympathic glance while she went about her task of mixing different herbs into a pitcher that sat on a night stand next to my bed.

" Drink this." The woman ordered, but in a gentle tone as she placed a mug of the strong smelling liquid in my hands. The steam wafted up from the cup and tickled my nose on the next breath I drew. I sneezed at the smell that invaded my senses and covered my mouth as I coughed and hacked.

" _Drink it._" The older woman repeated more firmly. " It'll help with the pain." I stared down at the murky liquid apprehensively and made a face; you know, one of those expressions a child makes when they're about to sallow the nasty liquid.

I mentally counted to three in my mind before taking a huge sip of the herbal water, surprised when the only thing I tasted was the hot water.

The elf smiled at her young patient's reaction.

" Those herbs are known for their effectiveness to numb pain." The healer explained when I looked up at her in question. " The fact that they're also tasteless makes them a favored option for healers with younger patient."

I just shrugged and took another sip, earning an amused chuckle from the sliver-haired woman before me.

" How is she doing, Raine?" The older blond asked softly, stepping up next to her companion at my bedside.

" Well, her body seems to be responding perfectly, at the very least." Raine responded distractedly, cupping her chin in thought. Something she did often when she brooded too much. " But.. her mana puzzles me."

The two women looked back down at their patient who was oblivious to the unwanted attention. Calm and more collected, I ignored the two pairs of eyes and focused on my thoughts.

" Young lady."

I flinched at the authorative tone and hunched my shoulder. Hey, if you were in a foreign world and at the complete mercy of strangers, you would be a nervous wreck too.

Raine sighed upon seeing my huddled form, and softened her voice to a gentle tone.

" Miss, you need to tell us what happened to you." The professor requested kindly, kneeling on the floor so she was just about level with me. " One of my students found you in a bad state in the forest not to far from here."

She locked her calculating eyes with my hesitant ones. " You were half-drowned with poison running through your system." I frowned myself. Could she be referring to my reaction with the bee-sting?

" I-I can't re-remember." I stuttered, gripping the sheets that pooled at my legs tightly between my fingers. " It.. It was raining... I-I felt sick–" I stopped in mid-sentence and gripped my head with both hands, unintentionally brushing against a sore area.

The blond woman sat down on the edge of my bed and pulled my hands away, taking great care to be gentle as she searched for the cause of my pain.

" Poor thing..." The stranger murmured, glancing down at me in sympathy. " Just rest." The blond gently pushed me down against the pillows and stroked my hair in a soft manner. Together with the warm comfort of the sheets and the woman's tender touch, I felt myself starting to drift.

' I.. need to.. find a.. way home...' Was the last thought that crossed my mind before I finally let go; allowing my already tired body to enter into a deep slumber.

" Selena?" Raine Sage questioned, glancing at her friend beside her when the woman had gone silent.

" .............." Selena Olathe pondered on her thoughts for a moment longer, before she finally broke the silence to answer her fellow healer. " I'm pretty sure that the trauma this girl has faced.." She began slowly. "..Has undoubtably locked some of her memories."

Selena allowed her arms to fall to her sides as she turned to face Raine. " Until the mystery around this girl clears up, I will resume responsibility for her." The inn-keeper stated firmly, her emerald eyes narrowed to empathizes her meaning.

*~*~

Almost two days had passed.

Children's laughter as well as the buzzing of conversation filled the village air the next day. Murmurs and whispers breezed around the small settlement like nothing; rumors of a mysterious young girl who dressed in strange clothing.

Who was she?

Where did she come from? _What_ was she? So many questions about the girl was left answered.

" Ugh.." I groaned out as I awakened, pressing the back of my hand to my forehead where I felt unnatural heat radiate from my skin. ' Looks like I'm still here..' I thought. ' Wasn't a dream after all, huh?'

I rolled onto my right side so that I faced the window with my back to the door, watching with dull eyes as the clouds lazily blew past. Taking their own sweet time.

".................."

' Should I tell them I was from a different world, a completely different dimension for that matter? If I lied now, it could come back to bite me back in the ass later. But if I told them now, I don't know what would happen.

' Better wait and see.' I sighed, rolling onto my back again. I shifted my hands underneath me so I could push myself into a sitting position, not completely prepared for the sharp pain that ripped through my head in protest to my movements.

' Shit–!' I bit my the inside of my cheek hard in order to refrain myself from yelping out loud. Instead I fisted my hair while resting my forehead against my legs, hoping to take away some of the discomfort.

"..No–! You can't go in there!"

" Huh? Why not? I saved her, didn't I?"

The door to the room I was currently staying in opened so quickly that it ended colliding into a wall with a pretty loud bang. I winced as the harsh sound met with my sensitive ears and made my already aching head throb again.

But as I looked up to see who had entered my room this time, I was met with a bigger surprise then last time: Standing there in the doorway was everyone's favorite twin swordsman, Lloyd Irving.

' Spiky brown hair that defied gravity.. naive red-brown eyes.. Dressed in red while wearing suspenders.. Yep. It's Lloyd Irving, alright.'

And standing by his side was a young boy that hardly looked older then my baby brother, who had yet to turn twelve. His hair was a similar sliver-color to that of a certain healer I knew. As well as his cerulean eyes.

' Genis Sage.. The warlock....' I mused, watching the two friends fight in silent amusement.

" That's not the point, Lloyd! Raine said not to–" The spell-caster let the rest of his sentence trail off when he realized that his older friend was not listening to him. Instead, Genis noticed that the duo swordsman was staring in the direction of the bed. The elf followed Lloyd's gaze Until it came to a rest on my form, locking eyes with me.

Silence filled the room for the next several moments after that. The only thing that could be heard was the whistle of the breeze as it blew into the room from the open window.

' What on earth is wrong with these two?' I thought, starting to feel awkward from all the staring I was getting from the two boys. ' Haven't they ever seen another girl besides Colette before?'

The creaking of the wooden floor indicated that someone was nearing the room, and brought my attention away from Lloyd and Genis as that someone entered through the open doorway.

" Ah. Good morning, Miss!" Selena greeted me cheerfully, crossing over to my bedside while carrying a tray with a steaming bowl. " How are you feeling today? Did you sleep alright?"

I smiled at the inn-keeper and nodded my reply. I still haven't gotten over my shyness quite yet.

" That's good." The blond smiled, setting the tray on the night stand next to my bed before straightening her profile. " I see you finally met these two." She glanced her shoulder at the boys who had yet to recover from their 'shock.'

Selena chuckled at Lloyd and Genis, apparently amused by their expressions. " Well then," The inn-keeper turned her body towards me again. " I'll leave you alone to eat and peace. And," She jerked a thumb over her shoulder, indicating the younger boys behind. "–Mabey get acquainted with these two numbskulls. Until then, I'll come and check on you later."

And with that, the blond elven woman turned heel and strode out of the room, leaving silence to take her place. Unfortunately, she had also taken what little comfort I had when she was here. So now right now I was too nervous to even to look up.

" Is it true your from another world?!"

Startled by the sudden outburst, I jerked my head up without thinking and came face to face with the storyline's hero, Lloyd Irving. The duo swordsman was peering down at me with a excited grin stretched over his face, his red-brown eyes sparkling like that of a child's.

Surprised, I drew back, catching the attention of the young mage who had also been shocked by his best friend's actions.

" Lloyd!" Genis hissed frantically, rushing over to the older boy's side and taking hold of the brunette's arm, trying to pull Lloyd away and give the poor girl some room.

" Ah, sorry!" Although Lloyd was generally slow when it came to realizing things, he was pretty quick to come to his senses and back away.

' What the heck is wrong with me?' This was _Lloyd_, one of the kindest people you could ever meet, make-believe or not. I forced my body to stop shaking as best as I could and looked back up at the two boys, Lloyd looking concerned that he had done something terrible.

I smiled shyly, and Genis and Lloyd relaxed their shoulders with sighs of relief.

" Pardon me, I didn't mean to be rude." I said in a quiet tone. " You asked a question and I didn't answer. Please forgive me."

" No, it's nothing to worry about." Genis said reassuringly, Lloyd nodding in agreement beside him. " If anything, I apologize for my friend's behavior."

The swordsman stopped nodding at that point, having to have realized that the elf had been talking about him, and shot his best friend a, 'Hey!' expression. I smiled behind my hand, but the mage made not effort to conceal it and laughed openly.

" But is it true?" Lloyd asked again once the amusement had died down. " Are you really from another world?"

' Huh?' Now _did_ startle me. How on earth did they come to that conclusion? I mean, it was true I wasn't from here, but still...

" I overheard my sister talking about it was Selena." Genis explained when I had looked to him for answers. " Lloyd found you on one of the riverbanks out in Iselia Forest; unconscious and barely breathing." The small elf frowned as he recalled as best as he could what happened. " But what really stumped us were your clothes. We've never seen garments like that before. Ever."

I frowned as well and gazed down at my folded hands. ' I guess I should really tell them the truth. It's the only option I have left.' I looked up again and opened my mouth to speak, but could not seem to form any words. Even if I told them, what would they think then? As if now, these people didn't have the slightest idea that Tetha'lla, Slyverant's sister world, existed.

The opening of the door decided it. I looked up again and Lloyd and Genis looked over their shoulders to see who had entered the room. And stiffened.

" Professor Sage/Raine!!" They both cried in unison, fear present in their voices.

And they had a reason to be. Raine Sage stood in the middle of the room, glaring at her students with the utmost annoyance. Her bangs shadowing her eyes only added to her scary profile.

" Didn't I tell you.." She began slowly, her teeth gritted. " _Not_ to enter this room.. Unless I said?"

' Oh boy..' I mentally sweat dropped as Raine now advance upon the two cowering boys, cracking her knuckles threateningly.

" Um.. Please wait!" I said with slight hesitance. " Don't punish them. They didn't do anything wrong."

The Professor paused just as she had been about to hit the closest boy, which was Lloyd. " They.. Weren't bothering you?" She asked with slight disbelief. I shook my head a let myself smile.

" No. They weren't." I confirmed. Raine blinked a few minutes, processing my answer before she looked down at her balled fist and shrugged, dropping her arm and crossing over to me. Behind her, Lloyd and Genis, who had been hugging each other out of fear, let out sighs of relief for the second time.

" Have you calmed down?" She asked softly, referring to yesterday. " Have you remembered anything else?"

I tilted my head, as if recalling something dire important. ' I guess I really should come clean.' I mused. ' Or else I'll really regret it later.' I lifted my head and locked my eyes with Raine's wise sapphire orbs.

" This.." I lowered my head so that my messy bangs shielded my eyes from view.

"..Is not my world."

Shock went around the entire room, generated from the very words from my mouth and zapping each individual.

" WHAT?!"

I let out a small and quiet sigh as the whole room erupted into total chaos; only the Professor seemed unfazed by this, silently watching me as her students behind her continued to panic.

Why did I have a really bad feeling things were only going to get worse?

*~*

A little while later, Raine had shooed out her students while at the same, gathered all the important people of the village, which included Selena and Taka, who she had briefly introduced as her husband.

The said elf sat down on the edge of my bed and had a protective arm around my shoulders, whispering calming words to my hunched form as the people around me buzzed with excitement and suspicion.

A portly, middle-age looking man cleared his throat loudly in order to gain everyone's attention; the room died down at once, leaving him to turn back to the matters at hand.

" So, what you mean to tell me--" The man shot me a quick suspicious glance. "– Is that this child is from a completely different _world_? How on earth could that possibly be?!"

" Mayor.." Raine sighed tiredly, rubbing the bridge of her nose. " You yourself saw her unique clothing when Lloyd brought her to the village. You were one of the first ones on the scene, correct?"

" W-Well, yes.. B-But–!"

" Plus this child has been on my, as well as Selena's, care and surveillance. She has done nothing wrong by my standards."

" Mine either." Selena cut in tersely, the hand of her arm that was wrapped around my shoulders rubbing my shoulder in a soft manner.

" But the real question is..." The school teacher turned back around to survey me with critical eyes, making me flinch in automatically in response. Those blue orbs softened immeditaly under the frightened expression, and the elven woman patted my head in reassurance before continuing her line of thinking to the crowd.

".._Why_ is she here? Is it by accident? Or was there intent in her appearance here in our world?"

Her hand slipped off of my head as she fully turned her body to address the apprehensive people, straightened with elegance like that of a determined woman.

" Until we can find those answers, I find nor foresee any danger in allowing her to stay in Iselia Village with us." Selena withdrew her arm and stood up from the bed, taking the silence as her chance to make a impact of her own.

" Taka and I will take full guardianship of the girl while she is with us." The blond elf continued confidently. " We will see to it see is taught and trained in the ways of the world."

Silence heavily fell yet again, as the humans glanced at one another. Some calm and self-assured, while few were still hesitant and undecided. It was then the Mayor decided to break the nervous spell with a defeated sigh.

The man started before the door, looking back only once to glance at the two elven women, and shake his head like ' I give up.'

As everyone else began to follow their leader out in a single line, I felt relief spread through my body like a blanket of warmth. ' Okay, first hurdle: cleared.' I let out a tiny sigh of relief myself and looked up at my new guardian. ' A thousand more to go...'

*~*

_Over the past couple of weeks, I hardly saw Raine after that meeting. When I had asked about her sudden absence one day during lunchtime (she allowed me to come downstairs, finally..), the blond elf had answered that her long-time friend was busy looking up information to answer her own questions she surely had about my unexpected arrival._

_Oh well. Mabey I can get her to tell how I got here in the first place, later._

_Anyway, once both Selena and Raine had given their approval for me to get out of bed, I was then introduced to Selena's husband Taka, a rather skilled weaponsmith who ran a shop in their own inn. He immeditaly put me to work, first asking the usual questions: How much survival experince do you have? Do you know any self-defense or fighting art? What weapon is your specialty? _

_Quite honestly, I always thought I was the best at the bow and arrow over since I first tried it out when I was younger. But then Sammy had introduced me to the Naginata, and was surprised herself when I could wield it so easily on the first try._

_Next, Taka set me to work by first learning the basic steps of self-defense. I didn't have time to take the class back home, but my best friend Sammy taught me some pretty amazing moves to disarm an opponet easily and escape._

_It's my third weeks here now. And I'm already getting used to my life here already, much to my surprise. Genis mentioned that Colette's birthday is coming up pretty soon earlier today. That means the whole storyline is about to unfold..._

_Well, I should take my walk now, before it get's too late and Selena catch's me._

_Jya ne!_

_Bev_

_*~*_

_In this world,_

_There are lots of sad moments._

A young woman in her late teens stood on the mildly tall hill, relishing the cool mid-night breeze as it softly kissed her cheeks and playfully messed with her long, butt length hair.

Meanwhile, a boy the same age as the girl with spiky brunette hair came to a halt on a dirt road just below the young female, eyes scanning his surroundings as if he was searching for something in particular. Spotting it, his red-brown eyes lit up upon the discovery and began his trek up the step hill.

_Feelings that won't reach_.

_Thoughts that can't be communicated._

_And broken promises..._

(1st Person)

I tilted my head back as I enjoyed the calm breeze as it continued to howl cheerfully, leaning my body back little by little until I finally fell to the green vegetation below me with a soundly rustle. Even then the wind continued, ruffling my bangs like a caring parent.

Carelessly I turned my head to the side, and caught sight of a blackened, dead flower, that surely had it's own serene beauty when it had been alive. With a small sigh, I looked back up at the baby-blue sky, just in time to see a couple of birds fly overhead.

" Hey!"

A familar shout brought me back to attention. Curiously, I pushed myself into a sitting position, and to my delight found one of my newly found friends waving at me from not to far away.

Lloyd Irving glanced at the bundle he had slung over his shoulder with a confident grin, then quickly made his way up the tall hill again, this time at a faster pace then before.

I rose to my feet and smiled at him, but it faded ever so slightly when I noticed something. ' Isn't he going a _little_ to fast?' It was soon answered when the tall young man tripped over a root in his path and began to stumble, landing on me since I was unable to support both ours weights.

Even if I had tried.

For a moment or two, we simply laid on the ground. Both stunned by the impact. But thankfully Lloyd recovered enough to push himself up slightly with his hands, muttering something under his breath before he caught sight of my ' Oh, Lloyd..' Expression.

Amused himself, his lips curled into a grin, and then we both began to snicker before it turned into full blown laughter.

After the air of humor had died down, the brunette quickly jumped to his feet before offering me a hand up. " I thought you'd might be out here." He mused with eyes dancing mischieviously.

" You sure love your night walks, huh?"

I let out a shy smile ( Even though it's been almost three weeks, I still hadn't really gotten to the point where I could speak freely without embrassing myself.) And nodded. Since I had Taka's training, as well as Selena's lessons, almost everyday, it was to get about an hour or two to myself before I turned in for the night.

" Anyway. The reason I came looking for you.." Lloyd reached behind him as he continued to speak. "..Is this."

It was the clothed bundle he had been carrying on his back; when he had untied the knot that held it together, I merely took a glimpse at the item inside before I let out a soft gasp of surprise.

It was a beautifully made, sliver-handle bow. Along with a white material quiver with sliver lining snaking up along it. " I told Dad all about you. And, well.." Lloyd rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "..He made this for you."

Slowly and hesitantly, I took the bow and quiver from my friend's hands and admired it was a expression of complete awe, while the duo swordsman watched me apprehensively.

" Well.. Do you like it?"

No sooner had the question his mouth, a full blown smile spread across my face, and I threw my arms around the startled boy before I realized what I was doing.

" Heh.. I guess I'll take that as a yes..." Lloyd said with a smirk, patting me on the back brotherly-like.

Forcing the excitement down to a minamim before I embrassed myself any more, I released the swordsman and took a couple steps back.

" So Lloyd.." I began, rocking on my heels. " Was there anything else?"

His eyes lit up once more at the mention of my question, amusing me greatly. " Oh yeah! Here.." The boy reached into the pocket of his suspenders, and carefully pulled the desired object out is if it were fragile glass.

' Oh, Colette's necklace!' Instantly recalling when Lloyd had given his 'extremely' late birthday present to the blond chosen. I smiled, the smooth surface of the blood gem reflecting it back. Lloyd didn't seem too happy with it, though.

" It was supposed to turn out better then this.." The brunette made a pouting face and looked the other way. " Even my dad told me it was worse then second rate. About one-forth of what it should be.."

The child pout disappeared, only to replaced with his usual smile again as he turned back to me as I continued to examine it in my hand. " But I did the best I could to make it."

" I can tell." I replied, handing the jewelry back to it's owner. But not before giving my friend a teasing smile. " You must really care for her."

Quite literally, Lloyd's face turned bright red right after the words were said. Trying to regain some of his dignity, the teen turned around with a huff, muttering something about 'girls.' My smile only widened and let out a small giggle.

I was pretty sure that, no matter what would happen as the story progressed, I could get through it as long as I had friends like Lloyd at my side.

*~*

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

YOSH!! It's finally down, minna! I'm soooooooooooooooo sorry that it literally took ages to put this up. I have no excuses other then that I've been busy with school, work, and babysitting. Please, guys. I need your opinion on this. If I don't get any new reviews, then I might consider putting this aside for awhile. Even though I've revised this quite a few times.. I hope you'll give me your honest ideas. I'll have the next one up as soon as possible, fingers crossed!

PREVIEW:

" T-The Oracle..!"

" And just where do you think you two are going?"

"..And you are?"

" What's a Cetra?"

" Leave her alone, Forcystse!"

" Watch out..! LLOYD!!"


	3. Turn Of Events

Author's Note: Gah! I so sorry, guys. I meant to get this out on thanksgiving day as a present, but I failed. *sigh* anyway, I'm counting on you guys! R&R!

_Once upon a time,_

_There existed a giant tree_

_That was the source of mana._

_A war, however, caused this tree to_

_wither away, and a hero's life was_

_sacrificed to take it's place._

_Grieving over the loss, the goddess_

_disappeared unto the heavens._

_The goddess left the angels_

_with this edict:_

" _You must wake me. For if I should _

_sleep, the world shall be destroyed."_

_The angels bore, the Chosen One._

_who headed toward the tower_

_that reached up onto the heavens._

_And that, marked the beginning of_

_the regeneration of the world..._

" Lloyd Irving, wake up!"

Silence replied for the said boy, making his classmates snicker softly in amusement at him.

" LLOYD!"

The female voice sounded out again from across the room with slight more volume then the first time; when the teen failed yet again to respond to his teachers callings, a chalkboard eraser was thrown with great accuracy and smacked him in the face.

" Gahh!" The brunette gasped as he awoke from his fitful slumber. The woman came to a stop and front of him and crossed her arms angrily, staring at her student with the unmost annoyance.

" How do you manage to sleep standing?" The bluenette asked with disbelief and humor at the same time. Upon hearing his's teacher's voice, the teen looked up.

" Oh, Professor Raine. Eh.. Is class over?" Lloyd Irving answered with a question of his own, traces of hope could be heard in his voice. Ignoring the younger boy, the elven woman turned heel and began to walk back up to the front of the classroom.

" Never mind. Let's have some else answer the question." She sighed in fustration, and glanced a small, elven boy that looked very similar to her in every way as she passed.

" Genis, how about you?"

The twelve year old automatically stood up in attention. " Yes, Raine." Genis Sage replied dutifully, then continued on to explain his answer to the original question. " Mithos, the hero, brought about the end of the Ancient War in the Holy Grounds of Kharlan."

Raine smiled proudly at her younger sibling as he sat down in his seat again, then turned her attention back to the rest of the class. " Correct. Afterwards, Mithos the hero, formed a pact with the Goddess Martel," She continued, heading up the conversation. " To seal away the desians whom caused the war."

This piece of information caught Lloyd's ever drifting mind, and brought it right back to the present. " But the now the desians are back and are causing everyone to suffer!" The swordsman exclaimed out right, causing a few people to glance back at him momentarily.

Professor Sage shook her head. " We covered that in class last time, remember? When the Seal weakens the desians reappear, just like the have now."

Lloyd felt his face heat up from embrassment from being reprimended yet again. Indeed, even _h_e remember that they did indeed, cover that in class the other day. " I-I knew that." He stuttered slightly, turning his blushing expression to the side. " I-I just forgot."

" Today is the Day of Prophecy." Raine pushed on in a calm tone. " It is a very important day, which the Chosen of Regeneration will receive the Oracle from the Goddess Martel."

*~*~

While this discussion went about in the school house, villagers were busily striding around the village, talking excited amongst themselves every so often about the how the awaited day had finally come about.

In the most south-eastern part of Iselia, the Cresecent Inn was also bussling with much activity to rival those outside. Hired help went about, busily doing their indiviual tasks as well as other small jobs, all to give the Inn a much more brighter and welcoming image.

It was finally the promised day. Visitors were sure to come from all over different parts of Slyverant to see the destined chosen one.

Meanwhile, upstairs a certain girl watched the villagers move around outside from her bedroom window, a grim and apprehensive expression.

(1ST POV)

' So, the time has finally come..' Feeling weak in the legs, I leaned against the window frame for support as I continued to gaze outside with weary eyes. Lifting a hand, I lightly grasped the sapphire cross my beloved father had sent me for my 17th birthday.

' I can only pray I'll get through this..' I moved my eyes toward the sky, feeling sadness as well as home sickness raidate from inside me. ' Kami-sama.. Please watch over me...'

" Bev, are awake little one?"

I recongnized that voice as Selena Olathe, my current guardian for the few weeks that had passed. " Ah, just a minute!" I answered back. Sliding the window closed, I moved away from it and began for the door, but halted when I came across the mirror on my wall.

Looking in it, I saw that traces of my depression still remained. I furiously scrubbed my face with the palms of my hands. A day or two after the meeting, both Selena and Professor Raine had given their permission for me to officially get off bed rest. The first thing I had done was get back the feeling in my legs. Resting in that bed for so long had taken it's toll.

I felt like a newborn baby, completely weak in the legs when I tried to stand up for the first time, so Selena had suggested that I take it a day a time. On the third day of my road to recovery, I had come across this same mirror, as I had been using the wall as my support as I practiced walking around the room.

Looking into the divine looking glass, I scared my own self when I saw a completely different looking person reflecting back:

My hair was naturally blond when I had been born, but darkened over the years growing up. Now, it was supposed to be a dirty blond with a slight red sheen to it, but now it was a unnatural red-golden shade, flashing red when the light hit my head whenever I turned it.

And the light-brown eyes I had inherited from my grandmother had drastically changed to a dark grey. At first I had thought about calling for Selena, but decided to keep quiet after much debating with myself. Perhaps I would find the answer of my new sudden appearance sooner then I thought if not now.

Snapping out of my hazing memories, I crossed the rest of the distance to the door and opened it, allowing entry to the person on the other side.

" Good morning, Selena." I greeted the older woman warmly. Spending so much time with her and her husband Taka, I had come to cast aside my shyness and interacted more normally with the couple.

The blond elf smiled back, but it seemed a bit more strained then her usual happy grin she greeted me with everyday.

" Taka is waiting for you in the back outside." She informed me briskly. " Go meet him. I will join you two shortly."

And before I could get a word of protest in, the inn-keeper quickly turned around and strode down the hall at a brisk pace. I stared after her with a pout.

' But I wanted to help everyone else..' I sighed out, rubbing my head. ' Oh well. I go see what Taka wants. Hopefully it won't take too long and I can get around to helping with the inn.'

I turned away from the entry way and walked back into the room, but left the door open. I picked up my boots from against the right side of the doorway and sat down on my bed with a healthy plop, immeditaly sliding one of them on and tying it tightly (if it was too loose I would trip everywhere, being the klutz I am) before pulling on the other one.

Finished with the task, I stood up and headed towards the door once again, this time closing it behind me as I left.

*~

Back In The Classroom Of The School...

" Chosen One.. Colette."

Out of the group of students who ages ranged from 6 and higher, a young woman who looked like she was about in her mid-teens stood from her seat in the same manner Genis had done before.

She was pretty thing; standing a height of 5'3" with a long mane of sunlight hair cascading down her back. Her sky-blue eyes retained a form of seriousness when her title had been called.

" Yes, Ma'am." Colette Brunel answered cheerfully, acting quite the exact opposite of her destined role that was cast on her at birth.

" Tell us about the Journey of World Regeneration." Raine instructed, watching her student carefully with cool violet-blue eyes.

" It is a journey to seal the desians." The blond repiled immeditaly. " Upon passing the trials of the Goddess Martel, the Summon Spirits that protect the world awaken. And mana, is restored."

" Correct. I suppose we should expect the Chosen herself to know the answer to that one. Mana depletion is the cause of the current food shortages and droughts."

The Professor found her eyes wondering back to her difficult student as she spoke, taking in the sight of the boy who was currently brooding with his eyes shut, a serious expression crossing his face.

" It is said that this occurs because the desians consumes vast amounts of mana in their human ranchs."

Feeling eyes on him, Lloyd allowed his own to open to the world and looked up just in time to see Colette smile briefly at him before sitting back down in her assigned seat.

" The Chosen's journey has two purposes– to revive mana, as well as defeat the desians."

Raine straightened her profile, regaining her stern tone as she continued on with her lesson.

" Now, for the next question–"

But it never came. A blinding light flashed through the windows of the small classroom, cutting the teacher off and rounding up everyone's attention.

*~

Meanwhile back at the inn, I had just stepped outside (in the inn's backyard. If you would call it that), and crossed the lawn over to a tall, brunette-haired elf that stood on the other side of the fenced area, staring up and towards a certain direction.

" You wanted to see me?" I inquired as I came up beside the silent weapon-smith. Taka Olathe did not answer right away; he merely glanced down at me from the corner of his eye before going back to staring at whatever had his attention. I followed his example. But the moment I turned to look, I was blinded by light, the same light that everyone else was surely experincing.

*~

' Wh..What was that?' Was the first thing the came to Lloyd's mind, gazing out the window in shock as the light retreated as quickly as it came.

" Settle down. It would seem the time for the oracle has come." Professor Raine ordered sharply to her overly excited students without taking her own eyes off of the window. " I will go and check on the chapel. Everyone, stay here and study on your own. Understood?"

And with that, she began to stride out of the room as fast as her legs could carry her, leaving the room to eurpt into many different conversations, making the once silent classroom very noisy.

Now that the danger was gone (for now), Lloyd took this chance to set down the buckets he had been instructed to hold while standing up at the back of the classroom. His punishment for slacking off in class yet again. But, we already know that didn't work, don't we?

" Ow.." The swordsman groaned, allowing his body to hunch over as soon as his butt hit his seat; the area of his forehead that had been damaged by the flying eraser had begun to throb dully.

" It was your fault, Lloyd." Genis informed his older friend with a sigh, hands on his hips as stood beside the boy's desk.

" What if I get dumber then I already am, because of this?" Lloyd complained, favoring his head while his chin rested on the smooth surface of his desk.

" It was _your_ fault, Lloyd." The small elf repeated in exsperation, but that feeling left quickly when he realized the swordsman was staring at the vacant seat in front of him. Colette's desk.

Genis let out a second sigh, this time of defeat. " Though it can't be helped.." He murmured quietly.

*~*

Outside of the school, Taka and I stood in front of the gate of the north entrance of the village, both of us observing the thin but bright beam of light coming from the Church of Martel. The sword-smith beside looked on with a hard expression, while mine was one of sadness. ' Colette...' That was the one single thought that ran through my mind before Taka nudged me back to reality.

I glanced up at him, while at the same time he stared down at me.

After moments of silence, the tall elf broke off the staring contest and looked up at the sky for the several time now. " It's seems that Oracle has finally arrived." He stated in quiet and harsh tone. " The Chosen has already departed for the temple moments earlier."

" Then, what do what me to do?" I frowned, now feeling completely confused. Although I wasn't from this world, I already knew the duties of the Chosen. So why..?

" It seems someone else followed them," Taka continued. " It could very well be an assassin, come to kill Colette before she has a chance to receive the Oracle. " He looked back down at the young human beside him, watching her even as she had her attention captured by something else.

" I want you to go and watch over them."

Startled, I broke eye contact with the beam of light and switched to Taka. His face was completely serious and grim, it scared me.

" Selena is strong, but she will need my help if trouble comes." The sword-smith said, answering the unspoken question. " She can't handle both the villagers and the desians at the same time."

He turned his body and placed his strong hands on my shoulders, gripping them in reassurance. " Don't worry. I know you'll be fine. Just believe that you'll pull through, and you will."

And with that, my guardian turned heel and headed back towards the inn, his gait rather quick even though he looked composed.

I looked down at the sliver bow in my hand, once Taka had disappeared from sight. ' Taka's right, I shouldn't think so negatively.' Although I had never fought before in my life, some part of me knew my confidence would make up for it.

The hand on my bow tightened, and I began to take steps foreward, my expression set with hard determination.

" Bev!"

' Uh-oh..' Was the first thing that crossed my mind when I heard Lloyd call out to me from behind. Knowing it was inevitable otherwise, I turned to face them as they came to a stop.

" Both of you, you should head back into the school!" I exclaimed, looking at my two friends with seriousness reflecting in my eyes.

I wasn't much older then some of her older students, so I was probabley flaunting my luck here. Oh well, had to give it a shot sometime.

" But–!"

" Lloyd, Genis!" I snapped. I knew he wouldn't listen. But hey, couldn't blame a girl for trying.

Genis flinched when his name left my mouth and stood back, afraid I would use the same method his sister always used to punish disobedient students. Lloyd however, continued to lock eyes with me, his red orbs mirroring my own emotions right back.

Finally, I gave in.

Sighing, I turned and began to head towards the Church again. " Alright. But if something happens, I'm not responsible." I called over my shoulder as I left.

Lloyd grinned down at his younger friend, already knowing that I could never say no to him. Genis smiled right back, and then the two followed after the retreating girl.

*~

In the Martel Temple, Colette stood in front of the alter where the Oracle had appeared. Behind her, the priests the guarded her during the trial stood at her back, alert for any sign of danger.

The blond girl stared up in wonder at the angelic being that had arrived with the Oracle: He wore the appearance of a middle-aged man, lines forming at the corner of his mouth.

His hair was the same shade as Colette's, although his emerald eyes were different from her blue ones. Above all, his appearance itself looked majestic.

" An.. Angel?" Colette whispered, her innocent eyes wide with wonder as she stared up at the being.

" My name is Remiel." The angel began, his voice booming out at every corner of every

corner of the room. " You, who have been decreed the chosen.. I ask thee-" He looked down at the girl. "-Are you prepared to go on the Journey of World Regeneration?"

The young girl blinked at the simple, yet complicated, question. To find the answer, Colette allowed her eyes to close for a brief moment. Memories of her time together with Lloyd flashed through her mind's eye.

" Yes." She replied, revealing her blue orbs to the world again. Upon hearing her answer, the angelic being lowered himself until the tips of his feet nearly brushed the alter.

" Very well." Remiel held up a single hand, which in turn began to glow an unearthly light. At the exact moment, Colette felt something slip from her neck; the pendent Lloyd had made for her fell to the ground with a ping.

But as the blond went to pick it up, surprised it even fell in the first place, she favored her neck instead, feeling white-hot pain arise from the area.

A glamerous light shone through her fingers which clutched at her neck, and the pain went away as quick as it came. Colette lifted her hands to reveal a beautiful red gem that appeared at the base of her neck, not having to have been there before.

" This is..?" But before she had a chance to ponder it, the angel began to speak again.

" I hereby pronounce you, Colette, a Chosen of Restoration." Remiel stated in a grave tone, suited for his appearance. " The angel's shall bless you, and grant this world a Tower of Salvation."

This time the being lifted both his hands towards the ceiling, and the ball of light he had come from shone brightly, forcing Colette to shield her eyes from the light with her arms.

Outside however, a thin but tall building appeared in the distance. Looking quite plain yet majestic as the angel. And, just as discribed in the books, it did indeed reach the heavens.

Spotting this, Lloyd halted his footsteps and stared at the new building with eyes full of awe and disbelief. I stopped by his side, following his example to look up at the tower.

" That must be the Tower of Salvation." I murmured out loud. " The final destination of the Journey of Restoration." I glanced at the silent swordsman. " The place the Chosen must reach."

I took a step further so I could get a better view of the astonished teens. " Don't worry. Colette will have an escort. Professor Raine will be accompanying her as well."

They snapped out of their daze and turned to look at me upon hearing ' Raine' Come out of my mouth.

I smiled encouragingly. " She'll bring her back without a scratch."

Lloyd frowned and looked away, glancing up at the tower again before he took off, startling Genis. Worried for his best friend, the small elf called out his name and ran after the older boy. I followed as well.

*~

" Travel to the Tower of Salvation, unleash the seal, and climb the stairway to heaven. We angels will grant you with a portion of our power, every time you break a seal."

Colette clasped her hands to her chest. " This Chosen has accepted her duty." She answered formally.

" When you are reborn as an angel, this withered world will be restored." Remiel explained further. " First, head to the Seal of Fire, due south of here." His pearl wings flapped out, and he began to rise towards the ball of light towards the ceiling, making Colette gasp.

" Pray at the alter, and unleash the seal!" And with these last words, the angelic being disappeared in the same form of light he had arrived in, leaving the blond Chosen with her thoughts.

" Chosen One."

Colette turned, and let out another gasp of surprise when she found the three priests on their knees, bowing at the same time. " High Priests!"

She stepped foreward, nervous about their sudden new behavior. " P-Please, stop that."

The young woman requested somewhat frantically. " I haven't changed at all, so you can treat me just the same.." Her voice trailed off and her eyes lit with sadness, knowing very well the priests couldn't do that.

" 20 years ago..." The head priest began. " The Oracle descended in the same manner. And the Chosen One went on the journey. She never returned. I am sorry, leaving this heavy, important reponsibility to you." Beside me, Colette just shook her head and smiled. " It's alright," She said reassuringly. The head priest looked up. " I leave it up to you." He said solemnly. " Yes." The blond girl murmured. " This World, I will defintely--" 

Then Colette was cut off by the shattering of the windows above; Dozens and Dozens of windows flew through the broken windows at an amazing speed, intending to hit their target with full force. Gasping in fear in surprise, Colette threw herself to the ground and shield her head with an arm. A couple stray arrows hit the ground inchs from her but, the on slought never came.

The blond girl looked up hesaitently, and the sight that greeted her enticed another cry from her mouth. The three priests which had accompained her to the Martel Temple had stopped the barrage of arrows: with their own bodies. " L-Lord Priests!" Colette cried out in anguish. " P-Please hide yourself.." The head priest pleaded with a weakened voice.

" Protect this world..." But Colette could not bring herself to answer him, overcome with grief and horror at the events taking place.

The sounds of yelling brought the young girl to attention. She quickly turned around to see a group of at least four armored men, _desians_, come charging in with swords drawn.

Colette hid herself behind the alter as quick as she could, only to peek out to see the last guard run through; Flinching at all of the blood that spurted out from the dying man's wound, she turned back to hiding. Fear rooted her to the spot.

But it was at that moment the priests words came back to her. Determination renewed itself in the girl, and she stepped out of her hiding place, her chakrams at ready.

The desians didn't seem the least bit imitidated. They just grinned maliciously and stepped forward.

" Colette!"

Startled at the sudden calling of her name, Colette looked past the gap of desians and smiled with relief. There at the entrance of the stairs stood her closet friends, Genis, Bev, and of course, Lloyd.

The duo swordsman, spotting the fallen priests and guards, fisted his gloved hands in anger towards the killer desians, who had been responsible for the deaths.

" Take care of the injured!" Lloyd ordered me before darting forward. He dropped his body and slid along the ground in time to avoid a dangerous swipe from one of the desians, grasping the fallen swords before taking stance of front of Colette.

Lloyd glared, seething with anger as the desians snickered at the boy who so foolishly stood against them.

" Sorry, I'm late."

' I know that voice..' Genis and I looked up to see a man around his late twentys standing at entrance, dressed mostly in purple with a shealthed, double-edge sword at his side.

" You've come, Sir Kratos..!" The remaining priest rasped weakly, his head in my lap.

Kratos walked foreward, passing Genis and only stopping untill he stood in the middle of four desians; He unshealthed his sword and pointed it slightly at him, cocking his head in a let's-see-what-you-got fashion while keeping his unhindered eye on the enemys. The desians seemed to heasitent a bit, then let out battle cries and charged foreward, swords raised to strike.

With one move of his sword, three of the desians fell to the ground with crys of pain in defeat; one soldier who had survived the attack turned and charged towards Lloyd and Colette. Looking to do some damage.

Lloyd quickly blocked the heavy sword with his own two; his exsphere began to glow brightly and tore the bandage that was hiding it in half.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Kratos's eye widen in shock in surprise. A faint red aura settled over Lloyd before disappearing, then the duo swordsman darted forward and used a familar move known as Tiger Blade, snapping the enemy's neck and pounding him into the ground.

Lloyd stood back and breathed heavily, glaring down at the dead body. Behind him, Colette was opened in awe, staring at her friend with new found respect.

I looked at the boy from afar, smiling in pride. ' Well done, Lloyd. You should them how strong you are..'

Sighing, I turned my head towards the sunlight that shone it's greeting through the broken windows, welcoming the warmth on my face. But then..

' hm?' Was it just me? Or was I seeing things? ' Is that.. A bird?' Carefully I moved the semi-concious priest's head from my lap and stood up, walking up to the window for closer inspection.

' No.. It's not!' My eyes widened as I recongnized the flying objects as kunai. Kunai were deadly knife like weapons that most ninja and shinobis used in assassinations. But it was too early for–

' Crap!' Instinctively I slipped my sliver bow of my shoulder and took aim, grabbing at least three arrows at a time and knocked them back, pointing the arrow heads at the oncoming leathel weapons.

My actions did not go unnoticed by the others. In fact, it surprised them.

" Bev, what's wrong?" Genis asked apprehensively, startled at his other friend's behavior.

I only pulled the arrows back further, narrowing my eyes in concentration as the kunai came closer and closer.

' Now..!' I released the bolts, watching as they flew out the window and right into the kunai's path.

BOOM!!

" Wha..?!" Lloyd yelped in shock, taking a step back as he watched the arrows explode in mid air. " Hey Bev. What did you just–?"

But before he could finish his question, I ran down the steps and out of the building, leaving behind some very confused companions. Kratos, however, looked after where I had disappeared with what could only be discribed as a indifferent expression.

"............................."

*~*

Outside of the Temple, I continued to sprint along the dirt path that led to the building behind me, one hand slung over my shoulder to grip an arrow while the other limb held my bow at ready.

The whistling of an object flying through the air came once again, this time from my right among the cliffs.

Skidding to a stop, I made my body cartwheel out of the path of the dangerous knife and took aim, quickly firing back from where the kunai had surely come from.

Much to my disbelief, the arrow head began to glow an eerie white aura as it flew towards the direction of the assailant.

The shadow I could barely make out on the top of the cliffs (thanks to the direction of the sunbeams shining in my face) moved a split second before my arrow was able to hit it; instead, it collided with the cliff wall with a burst of flash (think of Kagome's holy arrow).

' Damn, I missed him!' I cursed, gritting my teeth in fustration. Letting out a low growl, I turned away and shouldered my bow.

But since I been so immersed in my anger and irritation, I did not see another shadow, one of a desian lookout, make off along the cliff on my left.

*~*

"..Then, we shall entrust the protection of the Chosen to Kratos and Raine." The Mayor announced in a grave manner as I walked into the Inn.

After searching for the assassin for what I considered a good half an hour, I decided to return to Iselia and tell Taka what had happened. But it looks like I just walked in on a meeting. Can we say, whoops?

The Mayor sat at the head of the table, while Colette, her grandmother and father, sat on the right. Kratos sat on the left, across from them. Meanwhile, Lloyd and Genis stood to the side, next to Selena and Taka.

Colette was the first to notice my entrance.

" Thank you so much for your help earlier!" She greeted me happily. This caught the attention of Lloyd, Genis, Selena, Taka, as well as Frank and Phaidra. Only Kratos remained in the position he sat in.

" Ooh, your back." Phaidra echoed, smiling similarly like her young granddaughter. " I have heard from Colette of how much of a help you have been. Please, if there's anything you need, just let us know."

I smiled back politely. " Thank you." I murmured. " I didn't mean to intrude. Were you talking about the Journey of World just now?"

" Yes."

Before I could ask any further, Lloyd took this chance to input his own desires.

" I want to go too!" He argued, his tall body hunched defensively. " I want to see Colette regenerate the world!"

" If Raine is going, I want to go too." Genis agreed, his cererulan eyes shining with determination.

" No. You'll get in the way." Kratos's firm tone cut through the tide of protests.

' Uh-oh..' I rolled my eyes. ' Here we go...'

Lloyd gawked at the older man like he had gone insane. " Wh..What?" He sputtered, confused what the mysterious stranger had refused so bluntly.

The auburn-haired man stood up, sliding his chair back in the process. " The battles of the chapel are nothing compared to the journey that awaits us." Kratos stated out in a harsh, repriemanding tone. " Children need to stay home."

" Kratos is absolutely right." The mayor added sternly. " Now then. We still have things we need to discuss. You two should head home."

' Oh dear..' I watched with a mental sweat-drop as Lloyd practically stomped out of the house in fustration, while a frantic Genis followed right behind him, attempting to calm the older boy down.

The scrapping of another chair brought me back to attention. I watched Colette run after her two friends out of the corner of my eye, unfortuntely leaving me with the others in uncomfortable silence.

" Bev." Although I knew he would speak my name, my body still flinched like that of a child caught in the middle of a act by a parent. Scolding myself for acting in such a way, I straightened my back and turned to face my guardians.

Taka locked his dark eyes with my light colored orbs for a brief moment before jerking his head, then turned his back on me and strode into the back room without a word.

I moved to follow the elf, but paused in mid-step, turning to face the table of important people and bowed in a polite manner before hurrying after Taka, the echoing of my footsteps down the hall receding as I got further away.

Silence befell the room for a brief number of seconds.

" Such a polite young girl." Phaidra sighed with a pleasent smile. She tilted her head in the direction of Selena. " Haven't you told her there's no need for the things she does?"

" The other day, actually." The blond elf replied with a helpless smile. " According to our little guest though, that's the way her mother brought her up to be. A polite young lady."

" Hmph." The Mayor grunted. " Well, it's good to know there are still _some_ well behaved children out there."

*~*

" Shut the door behind you." Was all Taka said as I entered his weapon-smith room. I did as told, making sure I had closed it correctly before taking a seat at the small table he had on the other side of the room.

I clasped my hands together tightly on my lap (which thankfully was hidden by the table) as I waited for the brunette elf to speak, who was standing by the window as if he were watching the setting sun.

" Well?" That was the only word that came out of his mouth to break the silence that had a continual habit of visiting.

" Ah, well.." I started, wondering how I should explain today's events. " I went to the Martel Temple as you asked. By the time I arrived though, the priests and guards that accompanied Colette were dead, killed by a group of desians."

" Seeing as how the Chosen is back safe and sound..." Taka had yet to turn from the window. " I suppose she was safely rescued by our mercenary guest?"

I made a noise of agreement before he continued on.

" What of our intruder?"

" Well for one thing, you were right about the target being Colette." I answered obediently, now gripping the fabric of my shorts to keep myself calm (for some odd reason). " But he didn't attack us until the commotion with the desians had calmed down. It was if.."

My hands tightened on the material for a brief moment. "..He was waiting for the perfect moment, for us to let our guard down." I looked back up. " Could he be.. weak in a hand to hand combat?"

" Possibly." The weapon-smith sighed grimly. " Or he probabley just wanted to get the job done as quick as possible and wanted to avoid any confrontation that would delay he trip back to his employer."

Finally, he turned away from the window and faced me, his tall profile straightened with a hint of pride. " In any case, it seemed that you handled yourself perfectly out there. Both Phaidra and Frank wanted me to extend their gratitude to you for protecting Colette today."

Taka crossed the room easily within a number of seconds thanks to the assistance of his long legs, and handed me a medium sized, leather bound book titled Monster Book.

" This should give you lists of monsters seen regularly around." The elf explained as I curiously flipped through the book. " As well as their weakness and resistances."

" Okay." I closed the book with a snap, tucking it under my arm as I rose from chair. Thinking that we were done here, I bowed in the same manner from earlier to my guardian and turned to leave the room.

" One more thing, Beverly." I halted in my footsteps just as I reached the door. " The Chosen should be leaving soon. You should go and say good-bye."

" Now?" I felt surprised and confused. Didn't Colette leave early the next morning?

" Due to the restlessness of the desians lately, and given today's events," Taka answered calmly. " Selena and I advised them to leave as soon as possible, so they can avoid anymore confrontations with would-be assassins."

Ah, that made sense.

I bowed once more to excuse myself, then exited the door rather quickly, slamming it on accident due to my hurry and leaving the elf sword-smith to brood by himself.

' Quite a daughter you have there..' He mused, the corners of his lips tweaking into a small smile. '..Frank.'

*~*~

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Ooh, wonder what's going happen next I wonder? =3

Anyway, I meant to get this out a lot earlier, but I've been so focused on classes as well as christmas shopping for my family and friends. Ah, and I've been stuck at home for the past three days! Can you guess why?

....Snow day!

Yep, Yep. It's been snowing down in the part of Oregon I live in. It started on a late Sunday night while I was sleeping. And the next thing I know, Mom's waking me up in order to tell me that I had no school. When I looked out the window it was absolutely gorgeous! In my opinion the scenery outside my house made it felt like I was living in a snow globe.

But I was quite shocked that the snow was actually sticking to the ground. It hasn't done that for the past few years (probabley since I was a freshman). It's melted quite a bit, though. And there's a good chance I have to go to school tomorrow (pouts). And I was really hoping I have an earlier christmas break.. oh, well. If I have to go to school, I will. It's only for two days instead of five.

Jya ne!

Bre17


	4. Destined Encounter

AUTHOR's NOTE: Ohayo, minna-san! Here's the next chapter to _ETERNAL BONDS!_

Anyway, I want to say a special thank to all of you who have been paitent with my continual absence. I don't mean for it to happen, I swear. But sometimes school and other things love to get in my way. I would've had this up last week, but that was when I had my finals. And I'm happy to let you know.. I passed with flying colors! =3

And I want to send out another special thank you to everyone who has sent me reviews: DG aka Demon Gurl, Little pocketmouse, AnimeCrazy88, and Rodeospinkz. Your comments mean so much to me! I hope you will continue to review!

Now, onto the story!

(PS: many thanks to you DG for catching my little slip on character description. I'll work hard on fixing that.)

*~*

I sighed in contentment as I listened to the gentle tapping of the rain on my bedroom window, lying on my stomach while reading the research papers I had received earlier from Professor Raine.

However, as I turned it from page to page, scanning it was blank eyes, my mind wasn't on the papers. Rather, it was playing back my most current memory from earlier today, when Colette had departed.

(FLASHBACK)

_I could distantly hear the slapping of my padded feet as I ran down the hall, intent on catching up with the blond girl before I missed the chance to say goodbye._

_I opened the hall door the moment I reached it and continued to run, hurrying across the lobby room and leaving the wooden door ajar. _

' _Ah, there she is!' It wasn't very hard to spot her amongst the others, with the bright colored head of hers. _

" _Colette–!" The Chosen turned upon hearing her name being called out, and her face broke out into a wide smile._

" _Bev!" The younger girl threw her arms around me and hugged tightly the moment I got close enough. I stumbled a bit, thrown of balance from the sudden embrace_. _Yeah, I was startled, alright. I wasn't expecting this sort of thing, even from someone as kind_

_(and happy-go-lucky) as Colette._

" _Whoa, Colette. Let the poor girl breath." Selena chuckled in amusement as she joined us. The younger blond, realizing her mistake, immediately released me and started on of her ever-lasting string of apologies._

" _It's alright, it's alright." I reassured the frantic girl. " I just heard from Taka that you'll be leaving today, so I came as fast as I could." I smiled shyly. " I really enjoyed meeting you. Even if we've only known each other for a short time."_

_Colette paused mid-way in one of her apologetic bows, and looked up at me with a surprised expression, but it slowly gave way to a genuine smile._

" _Me too." She hugged me again, this time more carefully, and I returned it. " I'm glad you appeared in our world, even it sounds selfish. Because of that, I was able to meet you."_

_Selena smiled softly at the scene before her, her emerald eyes glazed her with wistfulness. " Saddening, isn't it?" The blond elf turned to acknowledge her fellow healer as the woman joined her in standing against the school fence. " When Colette finally made her first female best friend, it's around the time of her departure.." Raine Sage sighed out, then shook her head. " It's just sad and pitiful."_

" _Colette." The Chosen and I released each other and turned, facing the Professor with a questioning expression._

" _It's about time to leave." Professor Sage stated in somewhat of a grave_

_manner. " Have you finished with your goodbyes? Kratos is waiting for us at the southern entrance."_

_Colette nodded solemnly in reply, giving me one last sad smile before she turned and hurried away to say one last farewell to her father and grandmother, who were both standing not to far away._

" _I suppose this goodbye for me as well." Raine murmured, bringing my attention back to her. " I too, wish I had more time. You would've made a great student."_

_I felt my face heat up ever so slightly from embrassment of her compliment, making her chuckle._

" _Here." The healer reached behind her for a brief moment and pulled out what looked like a tan envolpe, you know, those tall ones that most office people use to send important papers and such._

" _I'm giving you my research. It's not a lot to go on, but.." She gazed at me with a soft, but serious expression. "..I know you're a smart girl. I shall pray for your success in returning home safely."_

" _And I too, shall pray for the regeneration to be a success." I replied back with a nod._

_Raine smiled sadly, just as Colette had did before, and turned to leave. But before she took more then three steps, she stopped adurptly and turned to face me again._

" _I know this may be a selfish request, but.." She paused for moment. " Please, watch over Lloyd and Genis in your remaining time here."_

' _Whoa, that's deep..' I stared at her with a startled expression. Heck, __**anyone**__ would be surprised if your favorite character asked you a personal favor!_

_Finally, I composed myself and straightened my profile. "..Of course!" I exclaimed cheerfully with a smile. " They're still my best friends, after all."_

_Selena left her post on the fence and joined me in watching as the other villagers gathered to say their goodbyes as well to the young Chosen. But she stood more in front of me then beside me, so she was oblivious to the secret smile the made it's appearance on my face._

' _See you soon, Colette...'_

_(END OF FLASHBACK)_

' Hmm..' I rested my chin on the palm of my hand and stared out the window in thought. ' I didn't see Lloyd there at all. So I guess it's alright to assume that she told him what _time_ she was leaving when she chased after him. That scene where you learn it's Colette birthday..'

BANG!!

My mind blanked briefly in the few seconds the likely explosion from outside rocked the inn, shocked more then anything as I fell off my bed from surprise, taking a few papers with me.

" Ow.." I rubbed my now sore backside tenderly. This was a hard wooden floor, not carpeted like home. Why do I keep forgetting that little detail?

' What the hell was that?' I thought with much disbelief as I picked up the scattered papers from the floor and bed, knowing Selena would wail on me if she saw this mess.

I paused, the answer dawning on me in a matter of moments. ' Don't tell me..!' I hastily stuffed the papers in my massager back for later review and hurried over to the window, less mindful of the rain the smacked me in the face as I threw open the window, and more concentrated on what was happening outside.

' Wha..?!' In the distance, faintly but surely, I spotted what looked like a burning house. Soon, other houses joined the game.

' Those damn bastards!' My mind seethed, referring to the desians who had come to retaliate on Lloyd for intruding on their ranch. I never heard the hurriedfootsteps, growing louder with each passing second as they came closer.

" Beverly!!" Selena called out as she threw open the door, for once not paying attention as it banged against the wall from such force.

" Selena?" I turned to face my caretaker, my bangs dripping and my face damp from the rain that had blown my way. Now that I was focused on reality once more, I noticed all of the noise going on downstairs as it echoed into my room.

" Get your things!" The elf barked, most likely referring to my weapon, the sliver bow Dirk had given me which I had nicknamed Akiva (Hebrew Translation: To Protect).

" Be quick about it, Taka has already left to help the villagers!"

And with that, the elven woman turned heel and disappeared from the doorway, her footsteps echoing off the walls yet again as she got further away.

' Help? Not hide?' I tilted my head in confusion. In this kind of scenario, the guardian would charge into the character's room, ordering them to gather their things and hide a quick as possible.

' Ah, I'll think about it later!' I shook my head furiously to rid it of anymore distracting thoughts as I ran out the door after Selena, slipped my bow and quiver over my shoulder in the process.

By the time I had reached outside, the village had just become a scene of utter chaos: more houses were burning like a big torch since the last time I looked, while the villagers tried to flee to safety, all the while being pressed by a desian or two.

' It just had to storm, didn't it?' I grumbled inwardly while pushing my wet bangs away from my face. ' With all this rain coming down, it cuts my visibility in half! I won't get a good shot on anything in this weather!'

" Someone! Help, please!"

' That sounded pretty close.' I scanned around for the source of the cry, my heart beat picking up due to all the tension in the air.

Finally, I was able to spot the problem: not to far on my left, a young village woman not much older then my sister (who's in her twenty's) vainly pressed herself against the wall of a house, her back foolishly bared to her attacker, a monster that looked like a giant prymantis.

' It must've slipped through the village barrier in all the confusion!' I concluded. The way the barrier worked, was if it's caster mantained a sense of peace and balance.

' But since Raine is gone, and given the situation..' I thought grimly while knocking back two arrows at a time. ' I really shouldn't be so surprised.'

The young woman hugged the precious bundle that was her son to her chest as tightly as she could, peering over her shoulder fearfully at the face of her soon-be killer. The bug monster let out what sounded like a screech of triumph, and brought down it's twin scythes at once.

' No..!' She squeezed her eyes shut and turned away, awaiting for the tearing pain that was sure to come..

..But never did.

Instead, the insect let out a wail of pain and collapsed to the ground so heavily, it made the earth tremble. Shocked at the sudden turn of events, the village woman slowly got to her feet, which still trembled with the after effects of her fear, and turned to face the dazed creature.

' How..?' The woman stared at the unmoving carcass with wary eyes, and caught movement out of the corner of her left one.

" You.." Needless to say, she was speechless. How could such a young thing such as this girl who had appeared before, take down a gigantic monster like this one? From a better prospective, she didn't look any older then eighteen, maybe younger.

" Are you alright?" I asked the woman through my panting, keeping a careful eye on the big bug. ' Damn, I missed it's vital point!'

" Th-Thank you–"

" Not yet," I cut her off, eyes narrowed with anticapation as the began to rise to it's feet, making the young mother whimper and shrink against the house again.

' This time..' I drew a single arrow and drew it back on Akiva, aiming as best as I could through the endless torrent of rain that obscured my vision.

Furious with the interruption of it's meal, the prymantis roared out and brandished it's scythes angrily, challanging it's attacker to a duel of death.

I released the arrow, which headed straight towards where the creature's heart should be located. But the arrow was cut in half with a single swipe from the bug, while the other scythe beared down right at me.

' Crap..!' Heart lodged in my throat, I spun around and barely had time to wrap an arm around the villager and her child before the scythe plunged into the earth deeply, right where it's target was mere seconds ago.

' That was a close one..' I grunted, wasting no time in pushing myself up from my position on top of the mother and son (basically I grabbed them both and threw ourselves out of the way as far as I could) and getting up to face the raging monster.

It was struggling to free it's scythe from the earthy prison, making sounds that sounded very similar to a bird in pain. Vainly it tried to turn and lash at me with it's other arm, hissing adding in with its pained cries as it tried as hard as it could to reach me.

I drew another single arrow while inhaling at the same time, letting out my breath slowly as I drew the arrow back and once again aimed for it's heart area.

' Please God...' Was the thought the rain through my mind as I drew the arrow back tighter. ' Guide my hand..!'

The second the monster was sucessfully able to free itself was the same moment I released the arrow, a single word running through my mind as I watched the arrowhead begin to glow white as it had done earlier before, when I had shot at the assassin.

But this time, a light aura surrounded the arrow as it gained speed and flew towards it's intended target. (Think of Kagome's Sacred Arrow from _Inuyasha_. But with a silvery aura instead of pink.)

' _Holy Arrow_..'

The young mother watched with astoundment as the light arrow struck the monster the very moment it turned to attack; but instead of the arrow striking the chest, it _blasted_ it's way through like a energy beam.

The bug monster let out a single chocked cry before falling to the ground in a bloody heap, never to move again.

I blew out a huff of exhaustion, slumping ever so slightly before recovering my stance. But as I made shoulder my bow..

BOOM!!

" Another one..?!" I cursed, mentally abusing myself for getting into this type of situation in the first place as I spotted the tower of smoke rising from the middle of the village, the plaza.

I turned to the young mother who was also staring at the smoke tower, horror reflecting in her eyes as she clutched her child to her.

" Hey, listen!" I snapped my fingers in front of her face to get her attention; she switched her scared gaze to me, her trembling shoulders signaling how much her fright was taking hold.

I sighed for what seemed the hundredth time and placed a gentle hand on the woman's shoulder, trying to calm her.

" I want you to run along the back of those houses," I stated in a firm tone, indicating a line of untouched houses to our right. " It'll take you to the inn with a lesser chance of being caught. Stay there until this dies down, alright?" Giving the villager a slight push in that direction, I presented her with a reassuring smile before I turned and ran towards the village plaza as fast as my legs could carry me.

The woman started towards the inn with eagerness flowing through her veins, but for some unknown reason, stopped behind the first house in the line of undamaged buildings and peeked out, watching her young savior head off into more danger.

'...............................'

*~*

In all the years of her battle and danger experience, Selena Olathe never felt more winded and exhausted in her life; Maybe it was because they had little time to prepare for this invasion, or maybe it was a lot harder protecting others instead of Taka and herself.

Whatever the reason was, it seemed almost meaningless at the moment as she blocked all three swords that had intended to skewer her at once; years of fighting on the battlefield enabled her to push them away effortlessly with her trusted spear, Sestuna, and then cut clean through them with a powerful upper cut.

Selena spun Setsuna around a couple of times in the air to clear all traces of blood before she rested the bottom of her weapon on the muddy ground, her heaving chest indicating how much this non-stop battling was taking a toll on her.

A nearby whimper made the elf turn to look behind her; the group of villagers she had rounded up into the plaza (which included the Mayor), were all looking at her with wide, terror-filled eyes.

The blond forced a tired but reassuring smile to show to the civilians; She really couldn't blame how the humans were acting. To have your village suddenly attacked by your greatest fear.. Was something unbearable.

Familar footsteps alerted her to the approaching presence from the rear. A simple glance without turning her head told her it was her husband, Taka, his giant double-edged

sword (Eclipse) in hand.

" Is that all of them?" Selena had to raise her voice a little louder then usual to be heard over the loud torrent of rain. Her husband nodded tiredly as he came to a stop at her said, shealthing Eclipse on his back.

" Yes, I've gone around the village twice now." Taka replied while pushing his wet bangs away from his face. " I saw Bev directing a small group of to the inn. They should be fine."

' Then that must mean Beverly is heading here next.' Selena concluded to herself with a nod. ' I just hope she lies low and doesn't run into–' But the rest of that thought was cut off adurptly when she felt a powerful wave of energy heading directly towards them at an incredible speed.

" Shield, defend!" The elf called out, summoning her mana to assemble a wall of protection around them. And just in time, for seconds after those words left her mouth that uncomfortable energy barreled right into the barrier that now surrounded them.

Behind her she heard the villagers gasp and some even let out small screams of fear, and to her right she distantly heard Taka drawing Eclipse once more.

Selena felt her eyes narrow as she recongnized her had just attacked her, and was now boldly walking forward to show himself.

At first glance you would see a tall man, probabley around six feet, with a unique profile. His hair was short and spiked out to the sides, and retained the color like the grass beneath their feet.

" Hey." That one word came out terse and commanding, making all of the villagers grouped stiffen in fear.

" Y-Yes?" It had been the Mayor who had answered, pale in the face from assessing the seriousness of the situation.

The emerald-haired man kept his right hand balled in a fist, as if he were preparing himself for a fight. " Where's the kid who's got the Exsphere on his left hand?" He demanded in a rather dangerous tone.

*~*

" AQUA EDGE!"

Just as it's name implied, thin but powerful disks of water appeared at the wave of Genis's hand and smacked into a couple desians with a strong impact.

Unfortuntely this enraged his fellow companions as one of them charged at the exhausted young elf, intending to due some serious damage in return. Genis squeezed his eyes shut when he knew he had know way to avoid the swing, and waited for the pain that would surely follow.

But it never came.

Instead a loud clang rang out over the sound of falling rain; the young mage opened one eye, and let his mouth drop open in a gape of surprise at who had defended him:

The young human struggled to keep the assailant back, teeth grinding together as she summoned all her strength to push the desian back.

' Bev!' Genis felt a little bit shocked; from what he had learned from his new friend a couple days back, this girl before him seem to absolutely hated violence. Her soaking wet clothes indicated that she had been out in the rain for more then five minutes. What has she been doing..?

A shout from Dirk nearby snapped Genis back into reality of the current situation.

" Don't use the power of that Exsphere!" The dwarf called out to his adoptive son, who was currently struggling to overpower his opponet.

" This _isn't_–" Lloyd lashed out one of his legs, kicking the desian back to break the stalamite and cut down on him with a powerful swing. "–the time to be saying that!"

His enemy defeated, the duo swordsman casted a distracted eye around the area, and spotted his other female friend a few feet away; I fired a few arrows at incoming desians before turning around to block a lethal swipe from another, repeating this process again and again.

Dirk's enormous hand enclosed around a desian's head tightly. " It's my blacksmith's intuition." He growled, throwing the half-elf into another of his comrade nearby, knocking the both of them to the ground.

Meanwhile, I found myself getting exhausted, not to mention a little dizzy. Was it because I've been out in the rain for so long?

" Lloyd, Genis!" I called out, raising my voice so I could be heard over the falling rain. " Most of the villagers have been gathered at the village plaza! But I saw a big energy explosion occur from that same direction as well. I worried something might've happened to Selena and the others!"

I grabbed the arm of my enemy and yanked him forward, bringing my own arm down and slamming my elbow on his neck and effectively knocking him out. It was something my friend Samantha had taught me incase I ever ran into trouble.

" Leave this to me." Lloyd's father ordered, seeing the two boys heasite. " Go with the young lady and get the villagers."

" Got it!" He and Genis shared a glance, nodding together before they ran off after their female companion.

Once his son and his friends disappeared from sight, Dirk turned back to face the small group of desians that still remained, the corners of his lips turning into a smirk.

" Now.. I hope you've guys have prepared yourself!"

*~*

Not much later I found myself standing beside the panting Lloyd, obviously out breath from all the running as he glared at the strange man in front of him.

" _Desian_!" He growled. Genis also felt himself staring angrily at the group of assasilants. How dare they do this without warning!

" Quit barking, you inferior being!" The man drawled, his unhindered crimson eye fixated on the young human before him. " I am Forcystus. A superior half-elf, and Master to all you humans!" He grinned maliciously as well as haughtily. " Your owner!"

Lloyd's scowl deepened after hearing that last statement. " Shut up!" He snapped, hands tightening on the hilts of his swords.

This only served to amuse Forcystus though, and with a nod of his head, several swords were pointed directly at the small groups of villagers.

Genis gasped out of fear for the villagers; While at the same time I felt anger well up inside me at a dangerous level, hand gripping the bow so tightly the knuckles turned white.

" Don't worry, I'll still play with you." The half-elf spoke, amusement present in his voice. " But, you _two_ alone."

Two? I felt the shock as Forcystus directed his gaze in my direction. " That's quite a expression you got there, girlie." I felt a shiver ran down my spine.

" If you want to blame anyone for what's happened to the village.." He lifted and pointing his gun arm right at me, invoking gasps of surprise from the villagers, including Lloyd and Genis. "..Blame yourself!"

' Wha..' I literally felt all the color drain from my face. ' What..?'

The splashing of footsteps among the muddy ground brought me back to reality; I forced my head up and locked eyes with, not the desian leader, but Lloyd. The duo swordsman gave a reassuring smile before facing the enemy before us again.

" Stop saying such lies, desian!" Lloyd spat angrily, pointing a sword in the older half-elf's direction. Pulling it back, he let out a battle cry and charged at his enemy; Forcystus dodged Lloyd's first sword and blocked the second with his machine arm before knocking the young man back.

Then the green-haired man crouched, grinding his feet against the muddy ground before launching himself into a run at an amazing speed.

The teen tried to slash at him again, but his sword clashed off the machine gun and Lloyd took a direct hit from a powerful spin-kick that sent him flying and tumbling along the watery grounds. I clenched my hands and had to forcefully restrain myself from jumping in. Unlike Lloyd, I wasn't taught how to fight battles like these. I would only hinder him and most likely, get myself killed.

The red-clad swordsman looked up with a curse to see Forcystus right in front of him, nailing him in the stomach with a punch that had him crashing painfully into a store shed nearby.

" Lloyd!" Genis cried out in alarm, fearful for his best friend's state.

The smoke cleared, revealing Lloyd smashed against the wooden wall, cringing in pain from the whiplash of that last attack.

" Show me the exsphere's powers!" The desian leader demanded, stepping closer.

" Exsphere..?" Lloyd repeated in a weak whisper.

" What's the matter, is that all you've got?" Forcystus taunted cruelly.

If it hadn't of been for the protection the leather gloves provided for my hands, I was sure my nails (which were pretty damn long a sharp) would've punctured the skin of my palms because of all the pressure I was applieing to them out of anger. The thing that happened next made Genis and I both gasp.

" Dammnit..!" Lloyd swore, his gem glowing from underneth the bandages that kept it out of sight. The light grew more and more bright until it tore from it's imprisonment.

Now it was my turn as I muttered a curse and ran over to Lloyd's side, gripping his exsphere equipped hand so my hand covered the glowing gem. I was unaware though, that my sapphire cross, the one I've had ever since I was a child, began to glow a dim and unearthly light upon contact.

" Lloyd, please calm down." I begged quietly. " Don't get mad over what he's saying. You'll just be playing into his hands if you attack in this state."

The brunette swordsman drew a ragged breath and, very slowly, exhaled. After several tense moments, Lloyd's exsphere's light began to fade and settle down, just as it's user did. Forcystus, enraged beyond thought, pointed his machine gun arm right at me as I helped Lloyd over to our small elven friend.

" Wench..!" He snarled lowly.

I took my own sweet time in lowering Lloyd carefully to the ground, ignoring the wrathful half-elf behind me as I inspected the duo swordsman.

"..Nothing life threatening." I murmured to the worried elf on Lloyd's other side. " But he'll most likely be feeling the brunt of his wounds in the morning." To put it simply, the brunette was in for a world of pain tommorow.

The sound of a click told me that something had loaded itself in the chamber of the gun, but I had yet to turn around and face the desian leader.

" Pointing a weapon at your opponet when their back is turned is a dirty move, Forcystus." Selena stated in a flat tone while pulling Genis back with her and out of harm's way.

" You know, I never understood you and your wife, Taka." The half-elf drawled, completely ignoring the female's comment and addressing the silent elf as though they were having an everyday casual conversation. " You could've chosen a life of peace and comfort. But yet you not only aid these inferior beings, you live among them as if you were one yourself!" Forcystus's disgust for my guardian was evident to anyone who heard, as he made no attempt to hide it.

Taka said nothing at first, wrapping a long-fingered hand around my upper arm in a firm grip and drawing me away from the injured and dazed swordsman as well.

" Well, someone has to look out for this _inferior beings_." The weapon-smith repiled finally in a somewhat sarcastic tone.

I clamped a hand over my mouth to prevent the snickers that welled and itched in my throat from escaping. Ooh, ouch. That was the first time I heard the quiet elf mock someone.

The desian leader scowled heavily at Taka, his gun arm shaking from all the rage he was most likely feeling from the insult.

" Oh well." Forcystus lowered his arm gun dismissively, his other hand on his hip. " It's really none of my buisness what you blood traitors do. If you want to die with these human scum–" Once again he pointed his machine gun, but this time, it was aimed right at the weakened Lloyd. " –Then go right ahead!"

Instead of the mana he usually adaptted to in battle, the machine began to gather light within itself.

' Shimatta..!' I thought wildly as my body jerked itself out of Taka's slackened grip and made a dash for the duo swordsman. ' This isn't what happened in the game! This.. This is all wrong!' I skidded to a stop in front of the boy, kicking up excess mud and water in the process.

I flung my arms out defensively, but just as the word " Stop!" Left my mouth, Forcystus's machine had already fired, and the mana beam was heading directly for Lloyd and I.

At that instant however, the collision of the mana beam and the girl created a bright flash, blinding anyone and everyone in sight or in the area.

*~

' _Bev.._'

I felt my eyelids pry themselves open accordingly at my name being called out. ' Ah, bright..' I winced when the first thing that flooded my vision was an intense bright light.

' _Beverly..'_

Eyes still half open and heavy, I tilted my head to the side. There, standing tall and commanding, was a male figure made entirely out of pure light. But before I could discern the man's idenity, my vision blurred again before giving out to the welcoming darkness.

" _I will always watch over you, my beloved daughter_..."

*~

Meanwhile, every villager felt their jaw drop in either astonishment or in pure amazement. Taka, Selena, and Genis watched from the sidelines, eyes widened with disbelief. Lloyd, who was now concious and fully aware of his surroundings, looked up at his new friend with a dumbfounded expression and a slack mouth.

"..........!"

Snapping out of my dream trance, it didn't take more then a couple of seconds to realize where I was again: I had jumped in front of Lloyd to, not only protect him, but to keep the storyline on track as well.

' Is my necklace.. Floating?!' Indeed it was. It, along with my ring (given to me by my father on my 17th birthday), were shining an unearthly white.

" _YOU WILL NOT TOUCH THIS CHILD!!_"

A man and woman's voice rang out in unison, using a thunderous voice that had the villagers shaking and rooted to the spot where they were standing like a deer in headlights.

Snapping out of his stupdor, Lloyd took this chance to push himself to his feet, wobbling slightly from the lack of strength to hold himself up.

' Not here..' His mind raced wildly, slowly bringing his swords up in front of him. His red-brown eyes widened as the mana pushed foreward ever so slightly.

' I can't die here!!'

Unbeknownst to him and the rest of us, his exsphere shone, a sacred flame beginning to burn within the gem itself as if spurred on by it's owner's emotions.

Aiding my keepsakes, a thin jolt of light shot out of the sphere and tore through the harmful mana, completely tearing it assaunder and rendering it useless.

Surprised by his own exsphere's actions, the swordsman lifted his sphere equipped hand and stared at it with wonder and amazement.

But it didn't stop there.

With another great flash from the crystal, another beam light that was greater then the one seconds before jumped into the air, soaring the skies with astonishing speed until it dove again..

..Right for Forcystus himself.

The desian leader let out a horrifying scream of pain as the light assaulted his entire body, as if he was being torn from the inside out.

The light died soon enough, leaving the half-elf to fall to his knees and use his hands to support him.

" Such power.." He whispered aloud to himself. " Wonderful..!"

He then turned his attention back to the teen as he attempted to push himself up. " Don't forget.. As long as you carry that exsphere.. We will always be after you." And with that last threat, Forcystus collapsed to the muddy ground beneath him, seemingly lifeless.

I turned and stared at my friend with pity. Things.. Would only get more harder from here on out. For Lloyd, and for me as well.

*~*

The next day, Lloyd found himself kneeling in front of his mother, Anna's, grave. He stared at it for several moments of silence, before standing up and shouldering his knapsack.

" Well then, Mom." He started. " I'll be on my way."

" You've got some nerve to leave without telling your parent." A voice spoke suddenly from behind him.

Already knowing it had been his father, Lloyd showed no surprise as he turned around to face the dwarf.

" Those guys.. Attacked the village because they were after this." He murmured, covering the mention sphere with his other hand. " If I stay in the village, I'll cause trouble for everyone."

Dirk narrowed his eyes knowingly, and threw the covered bundle he had been holding to his adopted son. " A parting gift."

Lloyd looked at his father curiously before untying the string and pulling out the object, which turned out to be newly crafted twin swords.

" Whether it becomes a 'good' or a 'bad' power is all up to the one who uses it." The dwarf continued as his son looked at the swords in awe. " I'm sure you can use that gem the right way because.." A cocky grin appeared on Dirk's face. " Because you're my kid!" He finished with a boast.

Lloyd stared it his father, startled by the statment. " Dad.." He whispered, before smiling sadly yet happily.

" Come back after you've done what you've set out to do." Dirk requested gruffly. " Even though we are not related by blood, you can always call this place your 'home'." Touched by his adoptive father's words, it the emotions became to much for him and he began to, what it looked like, crying, while Dirk just grinned happily. Once he was finished, the brunette-swordsman wiped the last stray tears from his eyes and held his new weapons up again to look it. " These are amazing!" Lloyd commented excitedly. " Your best forge.. With these, I'll never be alone no matter where I go!"

" HEY!!"

Dirk turned around and Lloyd leaned around him to see his best friend, Genis Sage, stumbling over to them with a heavy not to mention huge bag he was carrying.

" Lloyd, you were planning to leave without me, were you?" Although he seemed to be reprimending the boy, he had a wide grin on his face.

" I'll be going along with you as well." I added, stepping from behind Genis and startling them both.

" Selena and Taka are sending me to Luin to stay with a companion of their's until everything has settled down. So you can count on my support as well for awhile."

Knowing he was blessed to have such friends, the duo swordsman smiled softly and lifted his head towards the sun.

' Wait for me Colette.. I'll catch up to you right away.'

*~*

Author's note:

Aw.. Isn't that sweet? I always loved the devotion he has to Colette. Well peoples, we're finally out of Iselia! Sorry it took (counts the chapters) a chapter and a half to move it along. Next chapter they'll be traveling through Triet Desert, get captured by desians, and finally meet up with Colette! ^_^

Oh yeah, one more thing:

I've set up a deadline for myself to get these chapters up. Seeing as I'm always so busy, I figured a deadline should help. And that deadline.. Is on Monday. So every Monday I should have a new update.

Has anyone seen my sister _Mandillin's_ notice? She finally started writing again! I bet all you Zelda friends are happy. I pretty sure she should have one chapter up by tommorow.

Jya ne!

PS: Again, sorry for the late chapter. I've had finals last week, but I managed to pass them all (after studying my ass off.) So with them out of the way, I should a little more free time.


	5. Surprising Event

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hello, Minna-san! So, here's the next chapter to _Eternal Bonds_!

It's been a really long week, so I was almost to tired and lazy to work on it. But thankfully, my sister pushed me to write. This chapter is mostly a filler then anything else, but in this next part I'm also introducing a new character! I thought she would really help the story out, so please tell me what you think of her!

Please R&R!

NEW AUTHOR'S NOTE: (Date: 2/14/09)

Gah!! I'm so sorry, everyone! I went to look at my reviews, and found my story with all four chapters. Confused, I checked it's status, and realized that I had uploaded the document, but had not updated it into the story itself. Please forgive this air-headed authoress!

*~*~

We hadn't traveled for long when a low whine caught my attention. And being at the back of the small group, I was probably the only one who heard it.

Halting my footsteps, I turned to see a familiar creature I recognized seconds later as a protozoan; with those big floppy ears and canine form, trotting it's way right over to us.

" Lloyd, Genis, wait!" I raised my voice, never taking my eyes off the panting dog creature. The boys ceased their conversation they had started a short while ago, and stopped as well so they could turn and face me.

" Hm? What is it?" Lloyd questioned curiously, taking a step closer to his pet and noticing a particular object in it grasped. " What's that in your mouth?"

Instead of inspecting what Noishe might have, Genis leaned to the side and stared at Lloyd's satchel instead.

" Look, your bag is open." Genis stated in a it's-so-obvious tone, tugging on the bag to indicate his meaning.

" Oh." The older boy blinked in surprise from this information before turned back to the dog in front of us, gently prying the object from the protozoan's mouth. " It's.. a letter from Dad."

As Lloyd went on to read the letter out loud to his elven friend, I took this chance to observe our surroundings to see how far we had traveled, and how much longer it would take to reach Triet Desert.

' Probably by late afternoon or early evening.' I mused after taking note of the House of Salvation in the distance. If I could see that building, then the desert shouldn't be too much farther off.

I set my own thoughts aside and turned around to face my companions.

" Why don't we stop by the House of Salvation?" I suggested, pulling their attention away from the panting dog. " We can prepare ourselves for the desert there."

" Why?"

Ah, yes. The inevitable question. Still, I couldn't stop my eyebrow from twitching.

" _Because,_" I stressed out the word. " We are heading into a _desert_, are we not? It's usually scorching there. What we need are supplies for that area."

" Food, water, and cloaks, right?" The mage questioned with a cock of his head. I nodded to confirm, and Genis turned his head towards Lloyd. " She's right, Lloyd. We don't know how long we have to travel through the desert to reach Triet."

The duo swordsman tilted his head in thought for a moment or two. " Alright." He sighed. " But let's not take to much time. Or we might not catch up to Colette in time."

The rest of the walk to the House of Salvation was pretty quick and uneventful. Except for a few stray monsters that thought we were they're next meal. Thankfully Lloyd was able to dispatch of them quick enough and without much aid from Genis and I.

Now I found myself staring up at the welcoming building along with the two boys. ' Hm.. It's bigger then it looked on the game.' I mused while scanning our surroundings carefully. ' Then again this is reality. Not some virtual fantasy.'

" We should split up." Came Genis's voice from my right, snapping me back into the real world. " It'll be much easier that way."

" Right." The duo crossed his arms with a I-knew-that nod. " Genis and I will buy the food and water. Bev, do you think you can find a merchant who'll sell us cloaks?"

" Sure." I agreed easily. Back when I played the game, I always spotted at least one merchant hanging around a House of Salvation, and they were outside the building. That, and Selena had given me a generous amount of money to take care of myself until I reached Luin. " Let's meet outside in front of the entrance when we're done, okay?"

" Sounds like a plan." The brunette agreed back while Genis nodded his agreement. " Give us a shout of you need us."

After exchanging a few last reassuring words with Lloyd and Genis, I waited until they entered the Salvation House before turning my back to begin my own search. ' Time to get to work.' I stretched my hands high over my head before bringing them down to smother a yawn. With all the chaos from yesterday there was no way I got any decent sleep. Seeing as I was up half the night helping Selena and Taka tend to the wounded and repair the damaged houses.

(FLASHBACK)

" _You should be in bed."_

_I looked up from my work of carrying an armful of burnt wood, and saw Selena standing on the steps of the inn with her arms crossed and a disapproving expression, similar to one my mother always used on me when I used to go through half the day without eating._

" _I should." I agreed, dumping my load on one of the many piles of wood considered unusable. " But I still have a lot of work to do. I can't just be sleeping without a care in the world while everyone else is out here working their butts off."_

_The blond elf strode down the steps with purpose and grabbed my arm firmly as I turned to head back to work with the villagers, her grip firmer then it should've been, but less painful then it could be._

" _There is no reason for you to be doing this." The innkeeper spoke, her voice a quiet and angry lit. " I've been watching you for almost over an hour. You can't let them push you around like this."_

_For a brief moment we just stared at each other; Selena, a storm of emotions just waiting to explode. Me, calm yet a bit taken back._

" _Girl! What are you doing just standing over here?!"_

_The Mayor's voice, rough and cracking from all of the strain he had most likely felt within the last several hours, cut out across the distance quite easily and caught both of our attention. _

" _Forgive me, Mayor." I apologized in attempt to soothe the ill-tempered man as he marched over. " I got a bit side-tracked for a moment. I'll get right back to work."_

" _Now hold a just a minute," Selena interrupted, eyebrows now furrowed to show her quiet rage. " Mayor! How dare you! How could you just push her so hard? She's not here at your personal convenience!"_

" _If she wants to still here within this village, she's going to have to pull her own weight around here. Just like everyone else." The older man grunted. " Besides it's her fault that the village was nearly wiped out. Her and that boy."_

_I winced as the accusations hit me like a hard slap on the face. I wasn't going to completely deny any fault in the matter, but I couldn't just sit back and take this. Especially when I had absolutely __**no**__ idea what I had done to warrant such cruelty._

_Selena, who still stood on my right, remained silent. A quick glance at her though, made me want to bolt out of the village right there and now: Her head was tilted so her bangs shielded her eyes from view, and her hands clenched themselves into tight balls at her sides. But the one thing that had me so wary of the kind elf, was the thin and tiny sparks of electricity jumping around her hunched form._

_A large hand descended and clapped Selena on the shoulder, startling her out of her little phase._

" _Have no worries, Mayor." Taka's baritone voice came out smoothly. " She'll be gone by the early morning." While he had been speaking the tall elf had wrapped an arm around Selena, and around myself as well, gently steering the both of us back towards the direction of the inn._

" _But understand this–" He stopped to address the Mayor again, not even bothering to turn his head. " I'm doing this for the girl's sake, not yours, and not for the village either."_

_And with that, Taka shepherded us back into the inn, leaving the village leader to stand by himself in stunned silence._

(END OF FLASHBACK)

" SOMEONE! ANYONE!!"

The desperate yell tore through the air, easily gaining everyone's attention who was in the area, including mine. Pulling myself away from memory lane, I immediately searched around for the problem–-

" SOMEO–!"

–Only to have it barrel right into me. Literally.

A heavy weight knocked right into me out of nowhere, instantly knocking me off my feet and sending the both of us to the ground, kicking up a smokescreen of dirt that had the crowds of people emit nervous yelps and skitter of to the sides of the road.

Feeling very sore (and winded) at the moment, I took a few seconds to just lay there. Expelling a low groan of pain from the impact of the surprise tackle.

' What the hell was that..?!' I thought groggily, struggling to lift the veils of fog from my mind and think out what had just happened. ' Damn, that's going leave a mark.' Finally, I was able to recollect myself and pried open my eyes, only to have the bright sun greet me.

' Ack.. That's bright.' I winced from the sudden light exposure and rolled onto my side, taking the person who was currently on top of me (and I had forgotten about) with me. Blinking rapidly to clear my vision, I looked down at the small form beside me, their body racking with coughs.

' It's.. a little girl?' The being that had ran smack into me was indeed a human girl, and a young one at that. Heck, she didn't look any older then my baby brother, who was only eleven.

Her hair, which retained a dark forest green color, was pulled into buns on either side of her head with only a few loose strands hanging down. Her outfit itself consisted of simple clothing: a one-piece, white colored sun dress clung to her small body while a light grey cloak wrapped itself around her shoulders.

The only other accessory that she wore was a pale gold bracelet that adorned her wrist, a black crystal that was set in the middle of the jewelry sparkled due to the sun's rays bouncing off it.

But when she looked up at me—

' Crimson..?!' Clutching tightly to me, the little girl looked up at me until our eyes locked onto each other, fear reflecting within her unique red eyes.

" What the..?!"

" Argh! Everyone, RUN!!"

All the loud commotion around me brought me back to the situation at hand: Advancing a slow but purposeful pace, creatures that looked remarkably like animated Gargoyles were making their way over to us, attacking the fleeing people with gleeful screeches. ' No way! What are those things doing all the way down here?!' I couldn't help but think with a shudder. Gargoyles were naturally found in the either in the mountain themselves or around them in the game. So why..?

A whimper caught my ever-wondering mind, and the tiny arms that were around my waist tightened.

' Did they chase her all the way here?' I thought with a frown, glancing down at the shivering bundle in

in my arms. ' Seems kind of impossible, but...'

WHOOSH!

The wind slapped me right in the face as well as sending up another cloud of dirt; I coughed and covered my mouth to prevent myself from inhaling anymore dust, and glared up weakly at the culprit: a rather large Gargoyle, and a darker shade then the light grey it's companions were. In it's hands it carried what looked like a piece of broken metal tied to a tree branch. Was that supposed to be a spear?

Growling in triumph, the monster gave a great flap of it's torn wings and dove straight at us, short spear poised to kill.

This got my heart to race nervously, chills of fear running down my spine. Thinking instinctively, I quickly reached behind me and grabbed Akiva, thrusting it forward with both hands to block the fatal blow.

But I underestimated the monster; although I had successfully blocked it's spear, the strength of the attacked knocked me flat on my back again. The little girl let out a squeak of fear, having to have been still in my lap. Gritting my teeth, I felt my arms shake from the effort of keeping the Gargoyle back.

' I can't keep this up forever!' I thought frantically, noting the lack of strength in my arms. ' I have to do something.. Anything!' Desperate to put some room in between me and the creature, I lashed a foot out and managed to nail it in the gut, sending it flying a few feet to my right and land with a 'thunk' in the tall grass.

Breath coming out in short pants now, I quickly scrambled to my feet with Akiva in one hand and the girl in my other.

" Stay behind me." I ordered the kid tersely, setting on her the ground so I would have both hands free. She did so without a word, scampering around so she was behind and clutched at my coat, peering around anxiously.

Just as I yanked a couple of arrows from my quiver, I heard the loud sound of doors slamming open from my left and a couple pairs of running feet.

" What the hell..?!" Lloyd looked on at the scene before him with a slack mouth, while Genis watched with a horrified expression.

I drew the arrows back on Akiva and took aim at a couple of Gargoyles that were chasing a group of 3-5 people.

" About time!" I growled, releasing the bolts with a snap so they flew towards my target with astonishing speed. I didn't mean to snap at them, seeing as it wasn't really their fault, but my temper had a habit of emerging whenever I was very stressed.

One arrow managed to strike a monster in it's wing while the other hit the Gargoyle's companion in the back; both of them emitted cries of a wounded bird and collapsed to the ground in a heap.

" Questions later, help me out here!" I requested wearily, reaching over my shoulder for another arrow.

The two boys glanced at each other, Genis with his willing but wary smile, and Lloyd with his infamous determined expression; And then without another word they sprinted in the opposite directions, weapons drawn for battle. I let out another sigh of relief, this one being bigger then the previous.

Between the three of us, the battle want along a lot faster then with just me fighting them. This Gargoyles were powerful, sure. But they were also slow and not at all accurate.

" Almost done..!" I panted, dropping to one knee to dodge a spear that had been thrown at me by an enraged Gargoyle, and quickly retaliated with a Holy Arrow that struck it in it's shoulder and exploded from the sheer force of the arrow's aura. I made a face when the monster's remains flew everywhere as a result.

' Gross..' I was still a _girl_ after all. No matter what world I was in.

A scream lit through the air, quickly rounding up Lloyd, Genis and I's attention. Whirling around to face the little girl (who was supposed to be behind me), I found her several yards away, her small form curled defensively in the tall grass as a Gargoyle stood over her, poised to kill.

' Damn!' I inhaled sharply in surprise, then charged through the tall vegetation as fast as my legs could carry

me. ' You idiot! You should've known that thing was still alive!' My conscious all but screamed at me. ' No monster would die from a mere blow to the stomach!'

" _**Bev**_!!" Lloyd and Genis yelped/shouted in shock, as my next action had me skidding to my knees in front of the mysterious child and now the target of the attack.

I raised Akiva to block it's weapon, just as I had done before. But the damn Gargoyle had other plans. With a growl of irritation the monster swatted it's clawed hands and knocked my bow right out of my hands and sent it flying so it landed in the grass a foot or so away.

Unfortunately, the last action had also managed to nick my hand. So now I was down on my knees, weaponless while holding a bleeding limb. This is just _**peachy**_.

Howling it's triumph once more, the Gargoyle monster brought down at a speed faster then it was capable of; I wrapped my arms around the little child, covering her tiny body with my own bigger frame.

' This is going hurt like *&^.'

I waited and waited for the expected pain to come..

..But it never came.

Curious and wary at the same time, I pried open my eyes a bit, only to shut them immediately. For the girl within my arms had begun to sparkling light (you know, like the kind of light you see coming out of Christmas lights), all of which was coming from the gold bracelet on her left wrist.

Looking up, I saw that whatever the trinket was for, it had certainly done it's job; the Gargoyle in front of us had completely been paralyzed, it's body frozen in the form which had been seconds away plunging it's short spear into my back. Keeping a careful eye on the monster, I carefully slid myself out of the spears range before pushing to my feet.

Then the light faded.

I froze for a split second, then threw myself backwards into a back flip to avoid being run through. ' Wow, did I really do that?' I felt amazed, I haven't been able to pull that one off since I entered high school. Setting the kid down next to me, I reached back and grasped a single arrow, drawing it back and aiming.

For awhile the monster and I just looked at each other, calculating each other carefully and waiting for the other to charge in first.

Finally impatient of waiting, the monster let out a battle cry (quite honestly, it sounded like something a hawk would make.) And dove for me, determined to end this once and for all.

Thinking fast, I charged directly at the Gargoyle as well, enticing gasps out of the boys who had just come up behind me having to have finished off the rest of the monsters. But instead of meeting the creature head-on, I leaned my body to that I slid along the grass and under the monster's body, ending up right behind him just like I wanted.

Taking the Gargoyle's moment of confusion as an opportunity, I drew the arrow back a fraction tighter and fired: It flew through the air at high speed and enveloped itself in the same silvery white aura I had used to protect Colette.

Instead of pinning itself to the body, it tore right through with a powerful surge of energy. And, like before.. The Gargoyle exploded, sending it's body remains to decorate the people closet: myself, as well as Lloyd and Genis who had been standing behind me.

I growled my disgust and shook my head wildly in attempt to dislodge some monster guts from my hair, prompting the boys to laugh in amusement from my antics.

" Well, that seems to be all of them." I grumbled while picking out the rest of the remains that clung to my golden strands. " Is everyone accounted for?"

" Y-Yeah, everyone's safe and sound." Lloyd replied, his laughter reduced to mere chuckles. " And we managed to gather everything we needed."

" Hmm.." I nodded in satisfaction, but a tug on my clothes had me looking down again. It was the young girl we had saved, looking up at me with her big red solemn orbs. " Come to think of it, where on earth did this little girl come from?"

" That's a good question." Genis murmured, looked ironically like his sister as he crossed his arms and cupped his chin thought, staring at the kid with calculating eyes as Lloyd and I squatted down to her level.

" To me, it looked like she was chased her by those monsters, but..." I frowned in thought. " From what my book said on them, they only live either in the mountains or around them. And the closest mountain around here is in Triet Desert, right?"

" I see your point." The young mage sighed, lowering his arms in defeat. " But unfortunately we don't really have the time to stand here and ponder about it..."

" What if we take her with us?" Lloyd interrupted, never taking his curious eyes off the child.

" Eh?!"

" Lloyd, that's insane!" Genis stressed. " We have to catch up with Colette as soon as possible!"

I turned from the two bickering males and locked eyes with the little girl once more, staring at her as if the answer of her existence would pop up magically. She stared back just as hard, but with a more nervous and frightened expression.

" Let's do it." I cut through abruptly, carefully taking the girl into my arms before rising to my feet.

The look on Genis's face was absolutely priceless, and even Lloyd seemed a bit surprised by my sudden decision.

That's when the young mage let out a sigh of defeat, bringing me away from my silent amusement. " It's interesting that I'm traveling with a couple of lamebrains." The elf huffed. And here he'd thought she was smarter then this...

" Lame-brained to some--" I corrected with a grin. " --Open-mind to others."

I turned my attention back to the little girl for the second time, although continuing the previous conversation.

" I'm not officially apart of the Regeneration, remember? I'll look after this child as I travel to Luin. Maybe around then I can find some answers for the both of us."

Although silence was the only one to answer, I knew Genis had given up and adapted to simply sulking. I shook my head with amusement again and stood up, un-minding as the young child immediately latched onto one of my arms tightly and stared at my companions with wary eyes.

" So, are we all set?"

The duo swordsman and his mage partner glanced at each other as if to confirm something. Genis replied for them, his tone switching back to his usual it-should-be-obvious.

" Well, we did manage to find everything we need." The young elf motioned to the House. " But we left it back in the building when we heard all of the screaming."

" I'll go and retrieve it, then." I volunteered cheerfully. " Since I need to change out of these clothes after all."

Right now I was currently still wearing my Earth clothing, which consisted of a black-velvet shirt underneath my grey jacket, as well as dark-blue/boot cut jeans with blacked heeled boots. With this clothes, I was bound to attract unwanted attention and, most likely cause trouble as well.

Well, that and, I was still covered in monster guts from the earlier battle.

*~*

About almost twenty minutes later I found myself staring into a full body mirror, examining my own body with a critical eye over the new clothes I had just donned: It was pretty simple like my old outfit. I wore a pink tank-top under a small sleeved red-jean jacket. The tank-top itself was pretty long, covering up half of my black shorts to make it look like I was wearing _short_-shorts. The boots that came along with the outfit were made out of black wolf skin and enforced with a rock golem's hide. According to Selena (in the note she packed in along with the clothes.), this boots were more durable then most normal ones, and should half no problem protecting my feet.

The last accessories that came along with it were a pair of leather-guard gloves, styled in a way that it looked remarkably similar to Twilight Link's gloves, except they were slimmer as well as smaller, and had clear white stones set in the middle of the top of the gloves.

I had also taken the liberty of bandaging my wounded hand while I was at it. It hadn't been deep enough to require stitchs, but I had to be careful not to put any stress on it all the same.

' All set.' I thought with a sense of satisfaction and moved away from the mirror, picking up my bag from off the night-stand as I passed on my way to the staircase. I made a mental note to myself to think of a way to thank Selena and Taka once I got back to Iselia Village.

Downstairs on the floor level, I found Lloyd and Genes standing over a worn-looking map that had been spread on a table; The way Genes moved his arms about indicating that he was doing the talking, while Lloyd stood next to his younger friend, nodding to everything that came out of the elf's mouth. Although I was quite sure that the swordsman didn't really get (at least most of) what the twelve year-old was saying.

As I crossed the floor to them, my leather-equipped feet made the wooden surface groan in protest, and the boys raised their heads in surprise.

" Everything taken care of?" Genis questioned with a hint of curiosity underneath his normal tone.

I nodded in reply and looked down at the old parchment as I neared the table. " What were you two discussing about?"

" Ah, Genes and I were trying to look for the shortest route through the desert." The duo swordsman answered for them with his usual grin. " Genes think's they might be heading to Triet first for more supplies."

I opened my mouth to state my input (by now Colette's group were probably on their way to the Seal of Fire), but a heavy weight latching onto my arm re-directed my attention to the small form on my left; It was the little girl we had saved just several minutes ago, looking up with the same solemn looking eyes I saw the first time I encountered her.

" I still think we should leave her here," The mage inputted with a frown as I knelt down and gathered the small child in my arms. The line of his mouth tightened into a grim one as he watched the strange girl burrow her face into my jacket.

" Come on Genes, we can't just leave–" The rest of Lloyd's sentence cut off, and he looked down at the kid with a confused expression. " Come to think of it, does this girl even have a name? We can't call her 'girl' and 'hey you' all the time."

I turned my attention back to the girl with furrowed eyebrows. He had a point. Just who _was_ this young girl?

" What's your name?" I asked with a careful and gentle tone. At the moment, this child looked ready to bolt at the next loud sound she heard. The girl raised her head so that her crimson eyes meet with mine, but still kept her lower face buried in my shirt.

" I don't think she's going to answer us. She's too scared." Genes sighed out dismissively. " A temporary name will have to do for now."

I cocked my head to the side as I continued to study the girl. So we had to come with a name for her? Didn't seem so hard to me. " How about _Azra_?"

" _Azra?_" Both boys exclaimed in surprise.

" Yes. In my people's language, it means 'pure'." I answered with a smile, but it was more directed to the young girl then my companions. " I can't help but feel it would suit her very well."

I rose to my feet from my crouch, wincing as I stretched the soreness from my legs for squatting too long. " We should get a move on. If we want to catch Colette, we need to hurry. She has Professor Raine with her, and Kratos seemed like a highly intelligible man. They shouldn't have too much trouble finding the first seal."

Realizing their female companion was right, Lloyd ran off to grab their stuff while Genis hurriedly rolled up the Slyverant Map. I watched this scene with a hand lightly pressed to my mouth to hide my humored smile, so I had absolutely no idea that, at the moment, Azra had looked up at me. Wearing a tiny smile that was hardly noticeable, but a smile none the less.

*~*~

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Konbawa, minna-san!

I really hoped that you enjoyed this latest chapter. Not a lot really happened in it, and it's a bit shorter then my usual ones, but it's for a good reason, I promise.

Chapter Six is almost half way done (At least I certain), so that one should be updated right on schedule. Hopefully.

I'm counting on you! Please R&R!

(PS: DG a.k.a Demon Gurl, little-pocketmouse! Thank you so much for support! I hope it'll continue in the future!)

PREVIEW:

" So this is Triet?"

" Wanted Posters and search parties.. Looks like they're really serious."

" Do I really look this ugly?"

" LOOK OUT!!"

"..Girl, just what on earth are you?"


	6. Escapades and Reunions Part One

AUTHOR'S NOTE (Date: March 1st, 2009):

*sighs tiredly* Guys, I couldn't even begin to express how sorry I am. I had this chapter all ready last week. But _someone_ *glares at site managers* was messing with the login data, so I had no way of updating, or even letting you know it was going to be late.

*grumbles* bastards..

I hope you can forgive this authoress. The site had pissed me off so bad, that I decided to cool off for a few days and kinda.. well, stay away too long *sweat drops* Please R&R!

Chapter Six- Escapades and Reunions

" Urgh! Why is it so hot?!"

I paused in my surveying of the area and turned my head to my right, were Lloyd's whine had come from. He and Genis had stopped walking, and were currently collapsed to the sandy ground; Lloyd on his butt while leaning back on his hands, while Genis was on his knees and leaning forward on his own hands.

I huffed out a small sigh and set Azra down (I had started carrying her before we entered the desert, since she was still young and most likely couldn't keep up with our long legs in the sand.) Before crossing over to the two exhausted boys.

" Come on, again?" I asked tiredly, planting my hands on my hips while pinning my companions with

a look. " You guys, if you keep collapsing we'll never catch to Colette and the others this way!"

I knew I really shouldn't be the one to talk, being tired myself. But I grew up in California, the Golden State part of my childhood, and people who lived in such a place learned how to deal with it. It was all the walking I wasn't accustomed to. Despite all the walks I took with Mom back home.

" This desert is said to be the area were the Summon Spirit Efreet went out of control." Genis recited wearily in answer to Lloyd's earlier question. " That's probably the cause of this abnormal heat."

Tugging at my cloak caught my attention; tilting my head, I looked down at Azra with a curious expression. She looked up at me with an equally distressed one, her free hand pointing in another direction frantically. Raising an eyebrow, I follow her finger and eventually caught sight of the problem.

' Just great..' I grumbled to myself while instinctively reaching for Akiva. ' Giant Scorpions.' It was just as it's name implied, the monster was a much larger former of my world's version of a desert scorpion, and just as lethal.

But on a lighter note, Giant Scorpions weren't as fast as it's cousins were. So I had no trouble taking my time aiming at the annoying pests.

" Good lord.." I rubbed my temple against an incoming headache and shouldered my bow for what seemed like the hundredth time. " Lloyd, Genis, we need to get moving. Staying in one place makes us siting targets for the monsters around her, and I'm almost out of arrows." True, my heavy quiver now felt seemingly (and alarmingly) lighter then when I left the village. Not a good sign for me if we couldn't reach Triet soon.

With a long, drawn out groan Genis managed to get to his feet, shortly followed by Lloyd who used me as a crutch to get up.

I reached down and easily lifted Azra into my arms, her own limbs circling around my neck for support. Surprising Azra was very light for her age, not feeling much heavier then my 7-year-old cat whenever I picked him up.

" Let's move."

*~*

Thankfully enough, it didn't take to much longer until we drew within sight of Triet, exciting the boys to the point were the summoned energy out of nowhere and made a dash for the desert town, leaving an amused me to follow at a slightly slower pace.

But by the time I had managed to catch up with my friends at the entrance of the town, they were trying to hide themselves behind a nervous and confused Noishe as much as possible, shoulders tensed.

Following the game's plot by heart, I knew what was problem and lowered myself into a crouch, using my free hand to balance myself while my other held Azra securely to my chest. ' It's no good, we'll draw their attention of we stay here..' Mouth set in a grim line, I motioned to Genis to move quickly, indicating to the pin a few feet away from us.

" This is an order from Lord Forcystus! A human named Lloyd is on the run with an exsphere." One desian announced to his companions, unaware of the trio of humans and a strange creature sneaking past. " His identification code is unknown. Form a cordon in all areas immediately."

" What does this Lloyd look like?"

" His likeness and description is on the wanted posters. We're counting on you."

" Yes sir!"

And with that, the group of desians dispersed into different directions, while the one who had originally spoke strode over to the wall of the inn near the our corral. The half elf unrolled a scroll of paper and tacked it to the board, then headed of to start a search of his own.

" Man.. Wanted posters and search parties–" Lloyd sighed in aggravation. "-They're serious."

" We need to hurry and find Colette." Genis urged as he turned to his friend, as if there was no other alternave.

This statement made the duo swordsman frown as he glanced in the mage's direction. " Hey, I thought we were looking for Colette to protect her.." Lloyd started. " This is more like we're looking for her to get help."

I turned away from the bickering boys with a sigh, knowing this could go on for awhile and looked down at Azra out of habit; the little girl was nervous, one of her hands gripping my cloak tightly, but other then that she seemed fine as she surveyed the passing people with curiousity.

I couldn't help but smile widely at Azra's shy actions. She reminded me of myself when I was a child, always hiding behind my parents whenever we went out together and gazed on at the passing people as if they were monsters just waiting for the chance to jump at me the moment I let my guard down.

Did I also mention that I absolutely loved little children? Back at home I would always squeal at the sight of them, on Tv or in real life, it didn't matter. I thought they were just adorable, and had planned on working with them when I graduated.

Realizing that I was drifting off in thought again, I managed to snap myself back into reality and turned back to Lloyd and Genis, who had both calmed down by now and was eyeing the poster in interest.

" We should split up again." I suggested, catching their attention. " I know it's not safe walking around town with all the desians around, but it's not any safer staying in one place either." Without looking I bent down slightly and easily scooped Azra into my arms. " I'll take Azra and go buy the supplies. Why don't you go look for clues on Colette?"

" Sounds good." The small elf agreed, while Lloyd nodded beside him. " Let's meet back here at Noishe's pin after we have everything taken care of."

And with that, the boys pulled up the hoods of the their cloaks and headed up to the northern part of town (where the fortune-teller is). I watched after them until I could hardly make them out in the distance, then stepped out from the shelter of the corral and back into the blazing heat, pulling Azra's hood over her head as I went.

Thankfully the item merchant was exactly were he was in the game, just a few feet away from the corral. The man seemed to brighten when I approached him.

" Good afternoon, miss." The merchant greeted me politely with a smile as I came to a stop in front of

his stand. " What can I help you with?"

" I'm just here to buy a few supplies." I answered in a polite and cheerful manner. Knowing full well I had to be prepared for the events coming up, I proceeded to choose 10 apple gels, 10 orange gels, as well as a handful of

magic lenses. " How much?"

" 6, 150 gald." The merchant said after pausing to count the cost. He handed me the items in three separate bags after I handed him the money. I smiled in gratitude at the man before I turned and strode away, further down the line of stands. Now I only needed to buy my arrows and then I could go meet up with Lloyd and Genis again...

" You there, miss!"

A shout to my right brought my attention away from my thoughts (see a pattern here?). Slowing to a stop, I glanced in the direction the shout had come from and spotted a man in his early to mid thirties waving to me frantically. Not wanting to be rude, I shifted my feet and headed over to him.

" Were you talking to me?" I asked politely.

" Yes. Can I have a moment of your time?"

I tilted my head out of habit as I brooded for the answer to the question; should I hear the man out? But I really needed to get back to Lloyd and Genis as soon as possible...

A loud ringing sound that could only be described as a mini explosion going off decided for me. Not wasting any time, I boosted Azra so she wasn't sliding down and made a dash for the direction the noise had come from, weaving in and out of crowds of people running away from the commotion.

' Already..?!' Was the on thought that came to mind when I rounded the corner and spotted a trio of desians confronting the duo swordsman and his mage partner.

" Damn..!" I hissed under my breath and set down the precious bundle on the sandy ground. " Go and hide Azra!"

Having a vague feeling that she would listen to me, I wasted no time in making a straight beeline for the boys just as one of the desians tried a sneak attack on Lloyd.

" Oh no, you don't!" Lloyd turned to look behind him, and was shocked to find his female companion latched onto the man who had attempted to attack from behind, one leg curled firmly around the attacker's throat while the other leg pressed harshly into his back.

The half-elf let out a chocked cry and dropped his weapon (a cross bow) in favor of trying to free himself. Angered that a human had managed to get the jump on their companion, the two remaining desian guards let out cries of rage and charged.

Watching the men as they approached rapidly out of the corner of my eye then jumped, landing gracefully in front of a gawking Lloyd and a surprised Genis as the man I used as a spring-board was sent spinning to the ground, knocking into his companions so all three of them were sent to the ground with a harsh thud.

" Wow.." The duo swordsman managed to pull himself together and threw a friendly arm over my shoulders, giving me a tight squeeze. " That.. Was _awesome_! Where did you learn that?"

" It's nothing special." I retorted with a grin after I distangled myself from his grip. " Anyone could do that." It was true. _Anyone_ could learn that, if they were willing to try. It was other simple move that Sam had taught me to disarm an attacker long enough for me to get away.

" We should hurry and get going." The mage said after recovering his voice. " We've drawn enough attention as it is."

But Lloyd, being who he was, ignored Genis as he stared down at the group of unconscious desians with an expression of total satisfaction. " Heh.. All talk."

Genis, annoyed with his best friend's laid back attitude, turned to the swordsman with somewhat of a disapproving scowl. " Lloyd, you shouldn't let your guard down. Or you'll regret it."

The teen snorted. " I'm not letting my guard down. It's just that they were so pitiful..."

No sooner had those words left his mouth, the shifting of the sand had me turning to look behind me with a hand reaching for Akiva, but I moved a second to late. To my shock, the ball of electricity that had originally been intended for Lloyd, hit me as well. Striking me right in the stomach and instantly sent several shots of pain through my system.

Next to me I heard Lloyd let out a cry of surprise the same time I let out a scream of pain, collapsing onto his back with a solid thud while I felt my legs give out and I landed on my stomach, hands spread out in a bent angle in front of me.

Even though I had no energy to resist the man who moved to pick me up, I at least managed to raise my head a couple inches. I struggled to keep my eyes open even as my vision threatened to give out, gritting my teeth and mentally preparing myself as an unfamiliar pair of feet walked over to my collapsed body. But in the end I lost the battle as my vision faded and surrendered to the greedy darkness...

*~*

" Lloyd, Bev!" Genis cried in alarm as his two best friends collapsed to the ground. He hurried over to Lloyd, but kept his eyes as the group of strangers approached from behind.

Knowing he couldn't do anything to prevent what the attackers (who were dressed in clothing similar to the desians) had planned much less protect himself, the small elf backed away from the trio of men, holding his hands up in surrender.

A young man who looked no older then Lloyd stepped into view; he, like most men his age, retained a height of over six-feet. He wore similar, yet different clothes to his companions (anyone ever play Dragon Fable? The clothes he's wearing right now are the clothes a person who's in the Rouge class wears. His shirt his a deep mahogany shade, his pants are a light brown leather, and his shoulder, elbow, and knee guards are a dark grey.)

With his light brown hair, which grew out just past his shoulders, was tied back with a piece of leather down to the tip. The top of his hair seemed to spike out slightly, giving him the look that the ponytail was just a hair attachment. And the eyes..

Genis couldn't help but shudder when those cold eyes flicked a glance his direction before turning his attention to Genis's companions. Motioning for two of the guards to pick up Lloyd, the young man crouched down on his knees and swiftly scooped up the unconscious form of the female archer before nimbly getting to his feet again and strode away, never saying a word. The two guards supported Lloyd in between themselves as they followed their leader, while the remaining desian grabbed the mage's arm in a vice grip and pulled him along.

But as the group departed no one noticed the little girl and her dog-like companion peeking around the corner. Noishe let out what sounded out an angry growl, the sound rumbling deep from within his throat. Azra's crimson orbs locked onto one departing figure in particular.

As always the young girl never said a word. Instead she lowered her head until her bangs obscured her eyes from view, tiny fists clenching and unclenching. Finally Azra snapped her head up, startling the poor protozoan who had leaned to get a better view of the tiny human. Her crimson eyes were no longer shy and innocent. Instead, they had a bright seemingly demonic red, reptilian pupils thin and dilating.

After sparing the shaking dog-creature a glance, the little girl took off across the hot sand faster then any human possibly could achieve. Noishe seemed to hesitate for a split moment, then took off after the young being.

*~*

The first thing I felt the moment my conscious emerged from the heavy darkness, was unbelievable soreness of my muscles as well as small twinges of pain as I automatically rolled onto my side.

I let out muttered out every curse word I knew (which, compared to my best friends, wasn't very much) and forced myself onto my back again, holding my stomach tightly to try and lessen the pain. Dammnit, this was worse then my monthly cramps!

Once the pain had faded away (for now) I loosened my arms and stared up listlessly at the ceiling.

Wait a moment– ceiling?!

Startled by the change in my surroundings, I scrambled into a sitting position (without thinking of the consequences) and let out a hiss as pain reared it's ugly little head again.

' Where the hell am I?' Was the first thing that came to my head. I could only remember bits and pieces, and none of them really told me very much. Blinking several times to clear my hazy vision, I let my eyes wander around the tiny room. Or could it even be called a room? No, it was more like–

' A cell?!' This booted my mind into complete awareness. Wrapping an arm around my stomach, I used the other to support myself against the wall after forcing my protesting body to stand. Every part of my body throbbed in protest, and my legs were already beginning to quake due to the lack of strength. I guess the electric shock was more then my body could handle.

Turning my thoughts back to the situation at hand, I peer around the outside of the prison as best as I could with my limited vision.

' Just as I expected.' I thought grimly. ' The Renegade's Base.'

I hastily drew myself away from the iron bars after hearing the sounds of footsteps echoing as someone walked down the hall towards my cell and climbed back on the stiff bed, leaning against the wall in a sitting position instead of laying back down. I didn't want to invoke anymore pain then I already had.

The footsteps paused outside of my cell, and I knew that whoever was standing outside was observing. But that didn't stop my heart from beating nervously.

" Lord Ryu, the girl is awake." Called the one that stood in front of the prison. The name that came from the man's mouth alone sent up a warning. But before I had a chance to contemplate it, footsteps that were more heavier then the first pair quickly made their way down the short hall. I literally felt my breath catch itself when the new stranger came to a stop in front of the iron bar entrance of my cell.

Next second later, I heard the groan of the gears as the cell door lifted to allow entrance to the men outside.

Feeling alarmed, I allowed my eyes to fly open and snapped my head up, like an animal scenting danger. Standing in front of me was a young man around my age, his height was an average six foot like most boys at our age, and seemed to carry himself with an air of authority.

His hair was a light brown itself, with different volumes through his long strands that stopped at his mid-back and was tied back with a piece of leather to the tip. His eyes though, sent shivers down my spin. Who wouldn't when you had golden, reptilian eyes watching your every move?

I felt my limbs start to shake slightly, but I forced myself to keep my gaze steady with his, to let him know I wasn't going to be easy to push around.

And he seemed to understand, for the line of his mouth curled itself into an amused, yet lazy smirk.

" Looks like we've got a defiant one on our hands, boys." The baritone, yet not quite matured voice drawled out, enticing my lips to twinge into a frown/scowl. Was this jerk referring to me as an animal?

" Aww, look we got her mad." I felt my eyebrow twitch, but bit my tounge when the young man took ahold of my chin firmly between his thumb and index finger.

Now that our eyes connected properly, I felt something inside me rise and let out a growl, unaware that I had let it out phyiscally. Those golden eyes flashed, as if recongnizing something important.

" You–!"

" Lord Ryu, Lord Yuan requests to speak with you." A new voice joined in. Breaking eye contact with Ryu, I glanced to the side for a split moment. And with a sinking feeling realized that the new man on the scene was Botta, Yuan's right hand man. " Bring the girl as well."

Well, there goes my chance of escape.

I made a face as " Ryu" switched his grip to my upper arm and led (more like dragged) me down the halls, the two desian guards flanked us on either side, just in case I would attempt an escape.

Heh, not like I could. If it wasn't for the hand on my arm, I was pretty sure I would've collapsed to the ground. That shock had left my body weak and deprived of any strength. I wasn't going anywhere for awhile.

The hiss of the electric doors sliding open brought me back to the current situation at hand.

' Well, shit.' I thought as Ryu pulled me into the room and roughly pushed me into a chair in front of the desk that sat on the other side of the room, away from the door. ' I _really_ need to stop getting myself in these kinds of situations. It's going to kill me one of these days.'

Ryu stood beside me even as the other guards left the room to continue their other duties. After what seemed like several minutes passed, behind me on my right another electric door across from the first one slid open. I had a pretty rough idea who it was, so I didn't even bother looking up even as the young man turned to meet his leader.

I tapped my foot against my other leg as I waited; no doubt the low murmuring had something to do with me.

Moments later I heard Ryu let out a loud and distinctive hiss of frustration and stormed away and out the left door. The quiet rustle of clothing recaptured my attention, and I turned around to face the desk once more as a man around his late twenties sat behind it with a tired sigh.

This new man had light blue, turquoise tinted hair that was a inch or two below his mid-back, his bangs swept to the left (or right depending on how you looked at him) of his face so it almost completely covered his left eye that was a nice blue shade.

This stranger before me, was Yuan. One of the four ancient heros of the Kharlan Wars. I couldn't help but shudder at the raw power that seemed to radiate off of him.

For awhile we both just sat there while silence hung overhead. The half-elf had his elbows on the desk while resting his chin on his folded hands, looking at me dead on with a frown that seemed to reflect in his crystal blue eyes as well.

I, on the other hand, just sat there trying very so hard not to fidget. What was wrong with these people? Did I really look that different from all the other humans here?

" What a strange creature you are." Yuan finally spoke, but in a quiet manner. " I hardly sense any mana within your body, yet you seem to be functioning just fine." He never looked away as he spoke, keeping those piercing eyes trained on me. " Most people, whether it be human or elf, would be bed-ridden right now just trying to stay alive."

I made a face at his observation, but otherwise had yet to say anything. The Renegade Leader seemed to catch this however, and narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

" Girl, give me your hand."

I gave a start at the sudden request and eyed the man warily, first at his hand then up to his face. Yuan noticed this as well, and the corners of his mouth twitched into somewhat of a ghost of a smile. " I won't hurt you. Just give me your hand."

Never taking my eyes off of the man's face, I slowly lifted my hand off my lap and began to extend it to the half-elf's out-stretched limb. Once my hand reached his, the renegade grasped it in a firm yet gentle grip, as if not wanting to scare me, and for some reason or another allowed his eyes to drift shut.

I only had to wait a few seconds to see what he was up to; a faint colored light emitted from our clasped hands. But instead of the warmth one would feel from the light rays, I ripped my hand away as if I had directly touched a hot stove, pain and all.

But when I stood up to move away from the elf, immediately my vision swam and my head began to spin.

' Son of a–!'

I stumbled but was able to catch the edge of the chair I had been sitting in as support. Keeping a tight grip on the arm of the chair, I used my other to clutch my head in a desperate attempt to stop it from spinning.

Distantly I heard the scrapping of a chair and the quiet whisper of cloth. Next moment later I felt warm limbs grasp my head firmly, and heard the slight mutter under their breath.

Whatever the half-elf did had done to ease my dizzy spell, I'll never know. But I couldn't help but feel grateful as that feeling that someone was spinning my brain like a top began to gradually fade away.

And for awhile we just stood there; Yuan with his hands cupping my head and his own lowered to the point where his nose brushed against the crown of my hair. I just stood there, eyes half open and heavy with, not sleep, but contentment.

I couldn't really describe why I felt this way. Maybe it was because he was handling me with such care?

Unfortunately, I did not have the time to properly figure it out. For reasons unknown to me, Yuan abruptly

broke away from me, leaving me to stand there in a daze as he strode over to the electric door in the back of the room.

" And just who the hell are you?"

Yuan's cold tone cut right through the clouds that hindered my senses like a knife. Recognizing the familiar line, I told myself what to anticipate and turned to watch the scene: Lloyd, with both hands at a ready position (to grab his swords), was glaring up defiance at the stranger, with the half-elf glowering back with just as much loathing, his left hand gripping a ball of pure electricity.

Suddenly, as if the half-elf wasn't such of a threat as he thought, the duo swordsman relaxed his body and grinned up at the unknown stranger as he challanged, " Give me your name, and I shall give you mine."

I heard somewhat of a dark chuckle exit from the back of Yuan's throat. " I'm afraid I don't see the need to introduce myself to a miserable little creature like you." I rolled my eyes and cradled my head with a sigh.

It didn't matter whether they were human or half-elf. They were still both mean with a lot of pride and egos that were the size of Mt. Fuji.

" Well, what a concidence." The duo swordsman snorted. " Cause I don't see the need to introduce myself either to a moron who doesn't realize how pathetic he is."

Was it just me, or did seem that Lloyd's starting to run his mouth off?

Any trace of amusement Yuan might of felt there vanished, and only to be replaced by fury that was ampilfied by his present hatred for humans. " Why you little–!"

After hearing the degree of anger within the half-elf's voice, I couldn't take it anymore. Recent events have proved that this world didn't follow the dialogue of it's game counter-part. So for all I knew, Lloyd could seriously get hurt before Yuan had a chance to recognize him.

" **Lloyd**!!" I yelped in alarm before I could stop myself. It was more then enough to gain the Renegade Leader's attention. As the older man glanced over his shoulder at me in mild surprise, my swordsman friend took that chance to attempt a sonic-thrust at the half-elf.

But it looked like it was going to take more then a distraction for Lloyd to touch him, for the half-elf easily dodged the assault with his eyes still trained on me.

Lloyd quickly recovered from the miss (as he put too much power behind the attack) and swung around to face Yuan while at the same time, placing his body in front of mine.

But as the brunette had moved to place some distance, the light from overhead bounced off of the smooth surface of Lloyd's exsphere-equipped hand.

The light reflection caught the renegade's eye. It didn't even take second for him to register it before his crystal eyes flashed in recognition.

" An Exsphere!" Yuan exclaimed, surprise showing in his voice. " You're.. Lloyd?!"

This made the duo swordsman pause. I guess he wasn't expecting a stranger like Yuan to know his name. " And if I am?" He answered in a careful tone with a question of his own. The teen soon stiffened again when the blue-haired elf took a step closer to us with an unreadable expression.

" Hmm. I see the resemblance." Yuan murmured off-handily, more to himself then to us.

Lloyd and I exchanged glances, but before the swordsman had a chance to ask his question, an alarm went off overhead. Making the room flash red for brief moments.

This snapped Lloyd into whatever stupor he was in, and easily slid into the position of a trained warrior; his right hand gripping his sword (I swear, they look like huge cutting knifes!) While his other hovered over the handle of his shealthed one. The swordsman and half-elf regarded each other with cool expressions, as if sizing the other up.

Thankfully, nothing had a chance to happen. For Botta and his men came into the room in a rush, seemingly out of breath.

" Sir!" The brunette elf gasped. " We've received reports that the Chosen's group has infiltrated this facility!"

Well, with a genius like Raine in the group, and muscle to back her up like Kratos, it shouldn't have been

very hard.

In front of me a silent gasp that exited from Lloyd's mouth caught my attention. " You.. You're the desian that attacked Iselia!" He accused. Looks like Lloyd had a good memory after all.

Botta glanced over at the young human from the corner of his eye, a half smirk forming on his face. " So you're Lloyd." He sweeped a glance over at me as well, and that smirk seemed to grow. " Now this is amusing."

" Botta! I'm leaving for now." Yuan interrupted abruptly. " Our plans are ruined if he sees me."

The older half-elf transferred his attention back to his boss. " What of the Chosen?"

" I'll leave that to you." Yuan looked over to where Lloyd and I stood. " Lloyd. The next time we meet, you and your little friend are mine." Somewhat of a cruel smirk bloomed on his lips when Lloyd threw him a glare. " Just you wait."

And with that last threat said, the Renegade Leader spun on his heel and quickly made his exit out of the room through the door behind him. Botta took that cue and started to advance on Lloyd and I, my friend backing us up until they cornered us against a table.

" Keep behind me, Bev." Lloyd murmured to me over his shoulder, never taking his eyes off the current threat in front of us while spreading a protective arm in front of me. Knowing I was helpless (and a nuisance) without Akiva, I had no choice but to agree and accept what little protection he could offer me. If the worst came to worst, I would have to use what knowledge I have of self-defense to back Lloyd up.

Th_at wa_s why I never felt more relieved in my life when I heard the electric doors hiss and allowed entry to some new comers.

" Lloyd! Are you alright?" I heard Genis's frantic voice. I couldn't really see him from where I stood, since he was so damn short and Lloyd's tall frame kind of blocked my view.

Colette was next to come into the room, halting beside the elf. " Are you all right? Are you hurt?" The blond asked with equal concern, eyes scanning for any signs of injury as she spoke.

" He looks fine." A certain auburn-haired mercenary sighed, as he came to a stood behind Colette. Despite the fact that he sounded irritated for making a detour to rescue Lloyd, I had a deep feeling he was, if not a tiny bit worried after hearing the younger man's situation.

I stepped out from behind Lloyd and did a quick scan of the group, searching for one individual in particular and frowning when I did not find her.

" Genis," I raised my voice to gain the mage's attention. " Where's Azra?"

Genis folded his arms and frowned himself, unable to come up with an answer. " Honestly, I don't know. I haven't seen her since before you and Lloyd were captured."

That worried me. It worried me greatly. Where on earth had that little girl gone? Did she attempt to run after us but got attacked by some monster? Or did some desian capture her?

My train of thought was soon interrupted when Kratos tossed something in my direction; I caught it out of reflex, and looked down to see it was the enchanted bow Akiva, along with my sliver-trimmed quiver.

I looked back up at the mercenary, opening my mouth to give my thanks–--

" Keep better track of your weapons."

–But closed it abruptly when I heard his remark. I mentally wrestled with myself from scowling at the cynical man, and settled on a frown.

Never did like Kratos. Well, his high-and-mighty attitude anyway.

" You guys all came for us?" Lloyd asked with slight disbelief, but the happiness that was added in his tone of voice overrode that.

" Perfect timing." Botta sneered, reaching behind his back for his weapon. His men did the same. " I'll take care of everyone at once!"

This exclamation seemed to set everyone in the room on guard, Genis and Colette stiffening like boards while Kratos slid his body into attack position, hand gripping the handle of his double-edged sword. " Get ready." The auburn-haired man warned.

That's when everything seemed to happen at once.

The two desian guards that had flanked Botta immediately charged right at us with their sharp broad-swords raised, one heading towards Lloyd and I, while the other dashed for Genis and Colette. Kratos and Botta just seemed to stand there at first, eyeing each other as if daring one another to attack first.

I quickly turned my attention back to the battle, and just in time too; Lloyd raised his swords so that they formed an

'X' shape and easily blocked the enemy's blade. Taking this chance, I swung the quiver over my shoulder before running around Lloyd and over to Colette and Genis, who seemed to be having a hard time.

The desian who was fighting against him was fast; the most the blond Chosen could do at moment was block and defend herself from her foe's quick parries. And when Genis tried to cast a spell to help Colette out, the desian would swing around and slash at the elf.

Currently Colette was in a stalemate with the half-elf, holding of his sword with both of her chakrams but was beginning to loose the fight. I could tell by the way her arms shook from the effort to keep him back.

Not wasting anytime, I skidded to a stop (with a carpeted floor it wasn't very hard) and used that momentum to lash out at the desian with a round-house kick. The desian guard moved to defend himself from the pain, but was unable to move fast enough and ended up crashing into the wall behind Genis.

The Chosen let out a sigh of relief after seeing the man slump to the ground, placing a hand on my shoulder while she recovered her breath. " T-Thanks." She panted, smiling up at me with a energetic smile despite her exhaustion.

I couldn't help be grin back. Colette's smiles were contagious.

But our happy moment was shortly interrupted by a cry of alarm from the genius mage; but before either of us had a chance to register anything, I found myself pushing Colette out of the way of a sharp-pointed blade before barely jumping out of the way as it was swung in my direction.

I hit the floor with a dodge roll (think of Link from Orcarina of Time) and managed to get to my feet just in time to duck out of the way of another dangerous swipe of a sword. I took a couple of steps back before looking up to meet the angry face of the desian guard, a small stream of blood running down his temple from the blow he had taken when he hit the wall.

I repressed the urge to gulp at the dangerous expression on the man's face, raising Akiva at attention while reaching behind me for an arrow.

Yep, no doubt about it. This guy was pissed– no, scratch that. He was absolutely livid.

Enraged, the desian let out a battle cry as he charged at his opponent, an inferior being. Startled at the burst of energy, I was hopeless as I could do nothing but dodge his wild swings; this guy certainly wasn't going to take any chances.

" Ray Thrust!"

The battle disk slammed into the enemy with powerful momentum, causing him to stagger and giving me the opportunity I needed. Quickly I grabbed at least two arrows and notched them back on Akiva, taking the few precious seconds I had before the desian recovered.

Just like the time I had faced the giant prymantis, a single name echoed within my head, the voice sounding very much like my own, but with a more empty tone to it.

' Archer's Fury...'

I watched on in speechless silence as the arrows glowed and multiplied themselves until there was a least around fifty of them (I'm just making a rough estimate.). All of which embedded themselves in the body of the desian that had tried to do harm to their owner.

I felt the rush of relief begin to flood over my body, but it was dampened when the guard managed to stay on his feet.

Gaah! What are with these guys?!

Acting fast, I shouldered Akiva and used that same movement to land a bunch on the wounded desian, nailing him so hard in the stomach that it had the man doubling over from the new rush of pain. Grabbing one of the desian's arms, I pulled it out until I had the guard exposing his venerable back to me, and brought my free hand down so it made contact with the weak point of his neck (it's a certain area on your neck that can knock you out).

The desian guard let out a weak gasp of pain and slumped in my hold. Not at all too eager to keep my hold on the unconscious man, I hastily released him and moved away.

Knowing the half-elf was no longer a threat to me (for the moment), I took a few moments to regain my stolen breath which I had lost in the short battle and looked around the room; the desian guard Lloyd had been fighting was already done for the count, slumped against the wall a few feet away.

' Two down...' I mused, running a hand through my messy hair while looking up and locking my eyes on the battle going on in front of me. ' One more to go...'

From the looks of it though, Lloyd, Genis, Colette and Kratos seemed to be handling Botta just fine. If I jumped in now, I could cause problems for them. And I'm sure a certain mercenary wouldn't be very happy with me if I did. So instead, I opted for leaning against the wall behind me and continued to survey the fight from where I stood.

' _Mistress..!_'

I felt my body jerk in surprise. Although the voice had clearly come my mind, it sounded like it had been shouted through the intercom overhead. But the ongoing battle assured me that was not the case.

' _Mistress! Where..?_'

' There it is again!' I leaned my entire weight until I was almost full out slumping against the wall that supported me, hand to my forehead as if bracing for an oncoming headache. What on earth was..?

'_..Where are you?_'

For the third time, the strange yet seemingly familiar voice echoed throughout my mind. And, odd enough, I felt compelled to answer them. I hesitated for a split second, not knowing what consequnces would bring if I replied.

' I am here..' I cooed finally in a comforting tone. ' Tell me.. Who are you? _Where_ are you?'

A moment of silence. Then–

' _Mistress, you're alright_!' It was the sound of a young child's voice, delighted and eager. ' _I was sooo worried_!'

Then I heard the child giggle, the sound similar to that of bells. ' _Follow my voice, Mistress! You can do it!_"

And with that, the connection was broken. How did I know? Whatever presence had been in my mind had retreated, leaving only the usual silence.

For the second time I hesitated, turning my attention back to the fight for a spare moment. Like I had said before, the others seemed to be handling themselves just fine without my interference. No, that's not what I was worried about. It's just– how would they react when I wasn't with them?

' _Hurry, Mistress_!' The reprimand that came was all serious, no humor or laughter what so ever.

Banishing any second thoughts from mind, I adjusted Akiva so that she hugged my shoulder comfortably and would present no problems should I need to flee, before spinning on my heel and hurried out through the electric doors, which slid open even before I reached them.

Outside of the room, I easily recognized which hall I was in. But the real question was, which way did I go now?

' Follow my voice, huh..' I huffed out a sigh and crossed my arms. ' Easier said then done...'

Nonetheless, I began to make my way down the hall, pausing for a brief moment to decide which way to turn (the hall kind of splits off in two directions. Up (left from where I stood) and down (to the right) before resuming my walk. As I continued on, all of my surroundings looked familiar enough, so I guess it was safe to assume I wasn't lost yet.

In the game while you play as Lloyd while trying to escape (before he encounters Yuan), the halls are always teeming with guards and defensive machines. But at the moment, it was oddly deserted. Although I felt slightly relieved I would not have to fight, I could also not help feeling very apprehensive. Empty halls did not bode well in my book.

This made me cautious enough to slow my gait as I made me way along, always stopping when I reached a corner to cautiously peer around first. Hey, it doesn't hurt to be too cautious.

The next turn off I reached was the moment I took to look around my surroundings, to keep track and keep myself from getting lost. ' Hmm... The Rehaird hanger is just down that staircase...' I mused to myself as I peered around the corner.

It was the sound of an electric whirl that brought back to my senses; Alarmed, I snapped my head up like a deer scenting danger. And not a moment to soon.

Heading right towards me at an incredible speed was a pure bullet of electric mana. But it was too close for me to dodge. That, and I felt rooted in my place due to my shock and fear.

Out of nowhere, a hand roughly seized me around my bicep and yanked me to the ground. The mana bullet, with no target now, uselessly slammed into the wall which had been behind me when I had stood with an angry buzz.

Stunned at the sudden turn of events, I just sat in the position I was currently in while blankly staring at the white wall. That is, until the limb that had saved me from frying to death yanked me to face it's owner–

" What are you thinking..?!"

–The angry face of Kratos Aurion.

Shit.

*~*~*

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Konbawa, minna-san! I hope you all enjoyed the lastest installment of _Eternal Bonds_!

Anyways..

Lately there's been a nasty bout of colds going around the school district. Especially at my school, which is really, really small compared to the others. Why, just last Friday there was only two other students in one of my classes besides me. Normally, there's at least fifteen of them. Shocker, huh?

*scratches head and sighs* most of my family has it too. My older sister Amanda, as well as my two younger brothers Colen and Drake. Only my mother and I are safe. For now. *sweatdrops*

Please read and review! I would reeeaaally appreciate to hear your opinions!


	7. Escapades and Reunions Part Two

Chapter Seven- Escapades and Reunions (Part Two)

Um...

Can we say, whoops..?

But I didn't dare speak at the moment. The silent fury of the mercenary before me just down right frightened me. Hey, he could be twice more intimidating in real life then the game.

But before I could get in a word to my defense, Kratos tightened his grip on my arm to the point his knuckles turned white, and began to pull me along with him as he made his way down the hall. I mentally had to watch my footsteps because, at the gait he was walking, I was very liable to stumble. And I was pretty sure anything I did was going to piss him off.

' _LET GO OF MY MISTRESS!!!_'

For the several time, I heard the child's voice echo and ring across my mind, this time it sounded like an angry screech. Was this child somewhere nearby..?

My unasked question was answered soon enough; Kratos halted abruptly before we were even anywhere near the base exit, body tense as a board. Then suddenly, I heard the man chant the words, " _Guardian!_"

The familiar green wall of defensive magic circled around the two of us in a protective sphere, and not a moment to soon. For seconds later, an onslaught of scorching white flames barreled into the shield, making it ripple like water from the effort of protecting us.

' That's hot..!' I couldn't help but think, raising my free arm to shield my face from the unbearable heat. Who or what on earth could attack with this level of fire power?! It felt like I was sticking my face in a oven!

That was why I didn't hold back my sigh of relief when the flamethrower ended. But the singing of a sword being pulled from it's sheath put me back on edge, mentally scolding myself for relaxing too soon . But that didn't stop me from peeking around Kratos. My curiosity always was a weakness for me.

' What the..?!' I found myself openly gaping at our so-called-enemy. It was smaller then I thought, no bigger then an average sized male adult cat. It's reptilian body, which was a nice green shade with serpentine wings and all, gave away it's identity. ' Is that a.. Dragon?'

Indeed. The little creature in front of us looked a lot like a baby dragon, which I only heard and saw of in mythological books back home. Currently, it was using it's wings (which looked a little too big for it's body) to keep itself airborne, all the while trying to look intimidating at us (or rather Kratos) with it's blood -red eyes.

Despite the fact that this little fledgling had just tried to burn us to death, I didn't at all feel any hostility or fear towards the dragon. In fact, I felt just the opposite: relief, and.. Joy?

But I had temporarily forgotten who I was with. To Kratos, a creature that had just attacked us and looked nothing at all humanoid, was a monster. And all monsters needed to be destroyed. Because in this world, it was either kill or be killed. I managed to snap myself back to reality when I saw him begin to move out of the corner of my eye.

" Wait!" I protested, throwing an arm out in front of the mercenary.

Kratos stopped, refraining the name of his selected attack from slipping out of his mouth. The next moment later, I saw the man shift his body ever so slightly, and tilted his head to glance at me over his shoulder. His annoyed expression clearly saying, ' What now?'

I made my way around the angelic mercenary, still keeping a cautious arm out incase the man changed his mind and flat out attacked.

" What are you doing?!" I heard him hiss, clearly irritated that this girl kept deifying at every turn. And now she was stepping out of her protection to confront the beast? Madness!

I ignored the irate man that was currently steaming behind me and continued to slowly advance towards the small fledgling. If my hunch was right, this little dragon wouldn't raise a fing–err, I mean a claw, against me.

I stopped when I was within mere feet of the baby draco, and for several moments just stood there. As if I was in a staring contest. Finally, I raised my arms in a slow motion. And with a deep inhale of breath, spoke softly, " Come here, Azra!"

Instantly with what sounded like a squeal of pure delight, the fledgling flapped it's great wings so that rose a couple of inches in the air before flat out diving , right into my outstretched arms. But the baby dragon had used so much momentum to reach me that I was knocked clear off my feet.

' _Mistress, Mistress! I'm so glad you're alright!_' While her voice spoke to my mind, on the outside the little dragon let out a coo of contentment and snuggled as deep as she could into my arms. ' _I was so worried those mean humans had done something to you!_'

I couldn't help be smile widely, literally feeling my mouth stretch as I gazed down fondly at the little draco. No doubt about it. As strange as it sounded, this little dragon I had in my arms, was Azra. The strange little orphan girl I had rescued at the House of Salvation.

But, something was puzzling me. Why on earth was she calling me 'Mistress' ?

However, I had no time to ponder over it (as usual). The sound of rushed footsteps echoed loudly down the hall, soon accompanied by voices.

"..That damn fledgling got away!"

" Forgive us, Lord Ryu!"

" Yes, please forgive us! That dratted–"

" Enough excuses! Just find that dragon, NOW!"

A chorus of " Yes sir!" Was heard, and soon the stampede of feet faded away, and left us only to silence again. Kratos was the first to cautiously peer around the corner, while I stood next to him with my back to the wall, Azra secure within my arms.

At moment or two later, the mercenary drew his head back and leaned against the wall. Folding his arms while looking down at Azra and I through the eye that wasn't obscured by his bangs. " We should get moving. We don't have much more time before they come around again."

I nodded in agreement and followed after the auburn-haired man, easily keeping up with his strides due to my long legs (I was about 5'7"). Funny, and usually I loathed my height, since it made me a bit taller then the girls my age...

*~*~

Fortunately enough, we managed to reach the base exit in less time I had expected. I followed Kratos out of the door and down the small flight of steps...

..Only to be latched onto be a heavy weight.

I stumbled from the sudden weight since I had not been expecting it, but managed to regain my footing before I ended falling. I didn't want a cracked head, thank you very much.

" Colette..!" I gasped, already recognizing who was almost strangling me to death with a hug. " Can't.. Breath!"

Realizing her mistake, the blond chosen released her grip on me and back up a few steps. But she never let up the huge smile that was plastered on her face.

" Really, Bev..." I heard Raine sigh deeply. I turned my body ever so slightly so I could see the elven cross her arms and shake her head, observing me with that of a disapproving expression. " I expected this from Lloyd or Genis, but never from you. I thought you knew better."

I grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of my head, while the other held Azra. I knew she was disappointed in me for pulling such a childish act, but I could tell from the tone of her voice that she was more relieved then mad that I was in one piece.

" You're not hurt, are you?" Lloyd piped up in concern, standing off to the side next to his teacher. I shook my head in answer. Thankfully, no. I had been lucky in not sustaining any injuries so far.

Satisfied that her young charge was safe, Raine turned her attention to the round crystal she had retrieved from the desian leader's weapon, and currently held in her hand.

" I have a question..." The elf began, easily drawing the attention of everyone else. " This crystalline object that was attached to the sword..." She held up the glowing charm. "..Is this one of the Exsphere's that Genis spoke of?"

Kratos, after a moment of examining the sphere in the elf's hand, answered gruffly, " It would seem so."

" Oh yeah!" The duo swordsman exclaimed, as if recovering a lost memory. He turned to the mercenary. " You use a Exsphere too."

The silent man eyed the teen in a new light. "..So you noticed."

" Well, duh." Lloyd grinned childishly.

" What are they exactly?" Professor Raine prompted, attempting to restore the conversation. Kratos shook his head, and replied that they would talk about it later once they had reached Triet. Lloyd was the first to agree and started to lead the group, the panting Noishe by his side. Followed by Colette and Genis, with the adults bringing up the rear.

I followed as well, but at a slightly slower pace. I had a feeling that Kratos still wasn't very appreciate of me at the moment, and therefore opted to stay away from the man as much as possible.

------------------------------------------------------

KNOW THE ENEMY

Beginning: Kratos, Lloyd

Ending: Lloyd

(Lloyd: _**speaking**_/ Kratos: **speaking**)

**Lloyd**_**.**_

_**Wha**__t?_

**About the fight earlier**_**... **_

_**Are you going to tell me I got in the way?**_

**You weren't bad. It's looks like you improved a little**_**.**_

_**What..?**_

**You need to learn more about yourself to fight the enemy more effectively. Sometimes you will fight enemies armed with poison– still other times you will find your abilities suppressed via magic. The difference between knowing and not knowing those dangers and how to avoid them is immense. Merely swinging your sword isn't enough. Don't forget learning also leads to need to learn more about yourself and your opponent. If you understand your skills, you can fight the **

_**Kratos..**__._

**I've spent to much time talking. Let' s get moving. Don't dawdle. **

---------------------------------------------------------------

YOUR WORLD

Beginning: Bev, Lloyd, Colette, Genis, Raine

Ending: Bev, Raine

( Bev: _speaking_/ Lloyd: _**speaking**_/ Colette: _speaking_/ Raine: speaking/ Genis: speaking)

_**Say, Bev.**_

_Hmm?_

_**What's your world like? What kind of stuff do you do there?**_

_Yeah! Tell us!_

Yes. I'm quite interested to hear about your world's culture

Pretty please?

_Hm, I guess it won't hurt.._

_Yeah!_

_In my world, we live in a very advanced era. Almost everything is ran or aided by some type of machine. Or as you refer them as, magitechnology. _

_**Really..?**_

How does your world survive like that? Thriving on so much magitechnology?

_Ah, I can see what you're getting at. But our world doesn't depend on mana to live, like Slyverant does. We just need the everyday essentials, food and water, to get by._

No mana? Is that even possible?

I suppose. We can't expect every world to have rules like Slyverant does.

_Do you go to school, too?_

_Of course. But it's set up in different branches, not all ages at once. Grade school is kindergarten, where toddlers start out. Then it's followed by Grades one through five. For children ages seven through eleven. Then after you graduate, you go right to Middle School. But you only stay there for Grades six through eight. And finally, there's high school. Grades nine through twelve. After that, future schooling is optional._

That's.. most impressive.

What grade are you in now?

_I was in the middle of my eleventh year before I arrived here._

_**Wow.. You must be really smart then, Bev!**_

_I wouldn't say that.._

Interesting.. Then I hope your teachers wouldn't have any objections of I over-see your studies while you're here?

_Uh, I guess not...._

Speaking of which... Lloyd, Genis! Don't think for a minute now we're on the Journey of Regeneration that you can slack off in your studies!

_**Gah!**_

Uh-oh!

*runs away with Colette following*

..You miss your home, don't you?

_H-Huh? Yeah.. I won't deny it. Hopefully I can find some answers soon... How I got here, and why I was even brought here in the first place. I've been having a sinking feeling it wasn't on accident. _

Only time will tell. Just have paitence.

(END OF SKIT)

------------------------------------------------------------

Once everything had been taken care of and everyone was settled with their rooms, night had fallen. Despite this, the chosen and her small group of companions had all gathered in Lloyd and Kratos's room for discussion of today's events.

Lloyd and Genis sat side-by-side together on one of the beds. While Colette sat on the edge of the bunk next to theirs. I sat on the same bed as the chosen, but I had my back against the bed-board. Azra was fast asleep in my lap, chest rising every now and again to indicate her peaceful rest.

The two adults had opted to stand though. With Raine standing in front of Colette, and Kratos leaning against a wall a few feet away from the Professor, arms folded and as silent as ever.

"...In other words, these Exspheres are amplifiers that awaken are dormant capabilities." Raine murmured, then her eyes flashed excitedly at the idea. " I wonder if I can use one too–?!"

" That would be difficult." The mercenary interjected, causing the elf to pause and tilt her head towards him. " Ex-

spheres are harmful to the body without a Key Crest."

" Um.. Can't we make a Key Crest?" Colette asked timidly from her seat.

Kratos just shook his head. " As I told you before, a Key Crest is made by processing inhibitor ore. Then engraving it with a crest to control the Exsphere attached to the surface. It is said to be a secret art known only to the dwarves."

" Yeah. I can engrave that charm..er, crest." Lloyd nodded. " But only my dad can process the ore."

" Well, can inhibitor ore be found among these materials?"

I then decided to tune out the rest of the conversation, already knowing the ending and the pain Lloyd would shortly receive. Instead, I focused on my inner thoughts.

' Man.. It's been rough for the last couple of days..' I let out a tiny sigh. ' First I just mysteriously appear within within the world of Symphonia. Then I nearly get killed in that desian raid on Iselia. And now I got electrocuted and kidnaped by Yuan's guards!' I ran a hand through my already messy and matted hair. ' I'm not going survive at this rate...'

Deciding to snap myself out of the self-pity, I gave my head a rough shake (jarring my already injured head) and returned my attention back to the scene before me. By now, Raine had finished fuming at Lloyd for calling her precious relics 'junk' and now stood off to the side, arms folded with an expression of deep thought.

' I think it's time I went to bed.' I mused, glancing at Colette just as she yawned behind her hand. ' Maybe for everyone else, too.'

" Well, I don't know about you guys–" I began, rising to my feet with Azra secure in my arms. "-But I think Colette and I should be getting to bed. It's late enough as it is."

Kratos nodded silently to show his agreement in my suggestion, then turned and murmured something to the young duo swordsman, making the teen huff in exsperation.

I made a full body turn so I faced the younger blond, and bent down slightly, offering a hand.

" Shall we?"

Colette nodded, if not a bit eagerly, and took my outstretched limb so I could pull her to her tired feet.

*~*

Once the Chosen and I had reached our room, the girl all but jumped on her bed (which was next to the door) and slid her body under the heavy covers for the comfort and warmness it offered.

I couldn't help but grin at my younger friend's action as I too, got into bed, yet remained on top of the covers. Leaning my body against the wall so I could stare out the window at the stars at winked and danced across the dark expansion of sky.

Letting out a weary sigh, I glanced down at the small form curled up on the blankets besides me. Azra.. Just who, or what, was she? I thought it was odd how monsters chased a single human child to such lengths. But I still had trouble stomatching Azra's true idenity: a pure-blooded dragon. Granted, she was only a fledgling right now. But what kind of dragon can turn into a human? None of the dragon monsters I've seen can do that kind of trick...

What was it that made Azra so special?

' Ah, forget it.' I grumbled, slouching so my back slid down the wall. All of this thinking was making my head hurt. And besides, Azra would let me know when she thought it was the right time. So all I had to do was wait like a good girl.

A soft and hesitant knock at the bedroom door drew me away from my troubled thoughts, looking at the wooden barrier that stood between me and my midnight visitor.

Who on earth could still be up at this hour?

Swinging my feet over the edge of my bed, I rose to stand up and carefully made my way across the room, not wanting to disturb my sleeping roommates.

' Should've known.' I thought dryly, as I swung the door open and came face to face with Lloyd.

Realizing that he just now might've roused me from sleep, the swordsman rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish expression.

" Sorry. Did I wake you?"

" No. I was still awake." I reassured him with a shake of my head. " Is something wrong?"

" Ah, no. I just wanted to see if you were up to talking." The brunette quickly clarified. Was that hope I heard?

Shifting my weight the other foot and crossed my arms, mentally weighing the pros and cons to my answer. I hadn't been lying when I said I hadn't gone to sleep yet. But that didn't erase the fact I _was_ getting tired. And if I remembered correctly, going outside with Lloyd at this time of night would mean running into Kratos. I was still feeling a bit sore after being reprimanded by a character I had a mutual dislike for.

But my desire to speak with Lloyd, to get to know him, overrode all the other cons. Aah, what the heck. I could deal with the emo mercenary if I had to.

" Sounds good to me!" I answered finally with a grin.

Somewhat of a smile of relief spread across the brunette's face, making my grin widen ever so slightly. One of the main reasons I loved Tales of Symphonia so much, was because how lively the characters were. Take Lloyd and Colette for example.

" Then come on!" He urged, wearing a grin to mirror my own. The swordsman grabbed my wrist in a gentle manner, and proceeded to pull my with him as he made his way towards the staircase, enticing a quiet squeal of laughter out of me.

But a quiet click of a door halted us both before we could begin to descend down the stairs; Lloyd and I exchanged quick glances, a small nod, before we leaned over the railing of the second floor. Which gave us an excellent view of the ground floor and made it easy to spot anyone moving (or sneaking) around.

I felt a sense of dread run down my spine when I saw my least favorite person_ (hint, hint)_ walk across the lobby floor and exited through it's entrance doors.

" Where's he going to at this hour?" Lloyd murmured in question from beside me. He glanced over at me. " Let's follow him!"

" Lloyd, I don't think it's a very good idea to try–" But the rest of my protest died on the tip of my tongue, when I saw a flash of red run, followed by a whiplash of wind as that person ran past me. I blinked, at a lost for a moment before, realizing seconds later, what had happened.

Swearing under my breath, I pushed myself of from the railing and ran after the said swordsman, swinging my weight around the corner and down the staircase after the loveable brunette.

Thankfully Lloyd hadn't closed the door upon his departure, so I easily ran out if it as noiseless as possible and ran up the short ramp of stairs that led back to the central of town. I skidded to a short stop, raising my head as I panted to regain my stolen breath and spotted the duo swordsman just as he was making his way to the mercenary, who was standing in front of Noishe the protozoan's pen.

Summoning my last bit of reserved strength, I took two huge strides of steps and lunged, aiming for the back of Lloyd's wide collar–

–At the same time Kratos unleashed his sword, metal singing against the leather sheath as the man pulled it with lightening reflex's.

"..Whoa!"

A startled cry erupted from the brunette's mouth as he found himself yanked back in a sudden movement. When I had made a grab for Lloyd, I had fallen a couple inches short of his collar but managed to grasped the tail-end of one of his signature white ribbons; pulling back with one hard pull while I moved forward. Throwing out a protective arm.

And now currently, Lloyd was staring up at his two companions in surprise from his seat on the sandy ground, the harsh yank having made him loose his balance enough to fall. I found myself in a stalemate with Aurion, teeth clenched together and eyebrows furrowed in concentration as pushed my gloved arm against the double edged blade.

I took a spare moment to glance back at the dumbfounded boy behind me. " Like I was trying to say.." I began dryly, looking back at Kratos as a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. " I don't think it's a good idea to sneak up on a mercenary like Kratos." And with that, I lowered my arm and jumped back a foot, to put some distance between us.

" Lloyd, Evans.." The auburn-haired mercenary murmured, recognizing the two youths before him, sheathed his sword. " I'm sorry to have startled you."

Lloyd looked up at the man with a mild glare as I helped him to his feet. " Startled isn't the word for it!" He growled breathlessly.

Kratos sighed. " You'd best not stand behind me." He warned before turning his attention back to Noishe.

Lloyd and I exchanged glances with each other for the second time, shrugging in unison as we stepped up next to the mercenary.

" Do you like animals?" The duo swordsman asked with mild curiosity, after a moment of silence. He watched me stroke the protozoan's nose affectionately as he waited for a reply.

" No, not particularly." Kratos answered after a brief pause. Probably that type of question caught him off guard.

"..Well, Noishe seems quite comfortable with you." Lloyd continued, staring at the panting dog who was happily oblivious to the human's scrutiny.

" Lloyd." The duo swordsman's name came out in a sharp tone, causing the younger man to turn his body towards the mercenary with an expression of surprise.

I paused in the middle of my pampering of the protozoan, glancing over my shoulder in mild curiosity when the only thing the greeted my ears was silence. Aurion was studying the younger swordsmanwith such concentration, that all the scrutiny was starting to make the brunette fidget.

" Wh-What? What are you staring at me like that for?" Lloyd snapped defensively, uncomfortable how the mercenary's critical eye lingered on his form.

At the young man's exclamation, Kratos's unhindered eye narrowed impossibly further. " Your swordsmanship is unrefined." The auburn-haired man spoke harshly. " You should focus a little more on eliminating your vulnerabilities. If you care about your life." He added, adapting a sarcastic lit as he moved past Lloyd and I on his way back to the inn.

Only when I heard the door to the Triet Inn close behind the mercenary, did I allow my anger-tense body to relax, releasing out my breath long and slow. That man could be a real _ass_ sometimes. No matter how good he was.

Lloyd seemed to agree with my mental train of thought, stomping a foot down to show his frustration. " Grrrr! Just because he's a little better then me, he has to talk like he knows everything!" He spotted the wry look I tossed over my shoulder at him and grumbled in admittance, " Well.. A lot better then me. Damn!"

I shook my head at the duo swordsman's childish antics and turned, so that the lower part of my back leaned easily against the fence of Noishe's pen. " Calm down, Lloyd. Getting angry at the man is not going to help you."

Lloyd glared at door which Kratos had last disappeared through for a few moments longer, before releasing his breath in a angry huff and turned away to face me. " Sorry about this. The reason why I asked to come outside with wasn't to witness this."

I waved my hand in a dismissive gesture at the swordsman's embarrassment. " Don't worry about it. I've seen worse."

The brunette seemed to take my words to heart, and straightened his tall form. " To be honest. I wanted to talk to you about your world." He paused for a moment to let the question sink in. " Do you really not know how you got here in the first place?"

' Stupid, you should've seen this coming.' My mind chided, while on the outside I frowned. But quite honestly, I had not expected it to come from Lloyd. The Professor, and maybe Kratos or Regal, but not Lloyd.

"..No." I answered finally. " All I can remember, is bits and pieces." I tucked a strand of hair behind me ear, glancing over at Lloyd as he waited patiently for me to continue with my explanation. " That night, it had been raining down in torrents. The winds were blowing more harshly then usual. I really didn't think much of it. Because rain storms were natural where I lived."

I looked down, soundly finding the ground interesting. " But when I went to draw the curtains shut, I saw someone. A woman."

Lloyd frowned. " Saw someone? Who?"

I shook my head. " That's just it. I don't know. I thought it might be one of the neighbors trying to bring their cat inside. That's when I noticed how close she was to the ravine. There's a small thicket of forest that half-circles around my house. And when it's raining so hard, it's dangerous to be near the ravine. The river might be overflowing."

The young man leaned on the fence next to me. " So, what did you do?"

I grimaced, remembering exactly what I did next. " I went outside after her. Not a smart move on my part. Even if people would consider it noble."

" Why?"

" Because earlier that same day, I got a nasty sting from a monstrously huge hornet. My body has always been weak as a child. Any flu or virus going around, I was sure to be the first one to get it. So going outside in such a storm, when I was in such a bad condition, was suicidal."

I raised my hand, the one which had received the sting, and studied it. By now the wound had closed up, leaving behind only a white tell-tale scar behind. " So when I had gone outside to help the woman, it had been my undoing. I had made a grab for the stranger. But instead, my hand only closed upon air, and I found myself falling."

I brought my gaze up, locking eyes with the swordsman to my right. " I thought I had died then, Lloyd. After falling head first into an overflowing river, I honestly thought I had drowned to death."

The red-clad swordsman crossed his arms, eyebrows furrowing in thought. " That would explain why I found you in one of the rivers in the Iselia woods."

I broke the staring contest and tilted my head back, so I had a clear view of the starry sky. " The only question is, how will I be able to get home?"

" That's easy." I swivelled my head towards Lloyd again, an eyebrow raised in disbelief. But the teen just continued to grin confidently. " We'll help you! Genis, the Professor, Colette, and Kratos and I!"

For the last several moments, I just stared at the boy. Astonishment etched in my features. Finally, I composed myself and shook my head for the hundredth time. " You're impossible. Do you know that?"

Lloyd chuckled in response as I turned to look at the winking stars again. Watching his new female companion with tender eyes and a soft smile. ' I'll help you get home, Bev. I promise...'

*~*~*

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Wooo-hoo! And here's the seventh chapter of _Eternal Bonds_, people! Only three more to go until the double digits! Eh.. The reason I'm excited, is that this is the farthest I've gotten before.

Also– Isn't Lloyd sweet? I always thought he had a soft heart. That's what made him so loveable.

I'm almost done with the eighth chapter (four pages so far), so I should have that one up in following by tonight, or sometime tommorow. I have a good feeling on this one, so please believe me!

The reason why I'm putting up two at a time this time, is because I'll be pretty busy this week, due too the fact that it's the last week of my six week grading period, and I have to bust my butt to make sure everything's in.

Oh, one more thing! I created a poll for you guys. I can't decide which side-quest I should tie in with the story, so I need your help. It should be active in my profile (if not, let me know).

Jya ne!


	8. The Fire Seal

Author's Note:

Guys, I couldn't begin to tell how sorry I am for my long, un-explained absence. I know this should've been up a long, long time ago. But during my three-day weekend ( March 13th through the 15th) I fell sick. Really sick. Just when I thought I missed the bug that was going around, it reared out of nowhere and bit me in the ass. So, I ended up wasting my three-day weekend, along with an entire week of school. Mom threatened to suspend my account if I tried to sneak out of the house for school ^-^;

Anyway, good news is, I'm beginning to fully recover. Bad news is, I have a load of homework I need to get done before Spring Break ends. I'm thankful I managed to finish editing this last chapter, and I'm praying I'll be able to get the next part up, but please, to hold your breath.

Oh! And from here on out, every chapter should contain hints of spoiler for the game. So if you haven't finished it yet... well, your ruining it for yourself. Just warning you!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of Namco's characters, games, or plots. But the Ocs are mine.

*~*~*~*~*

Chapter Eight– The Fire Seal (Part One)

When my mind roused itself from it's peaceful slumber, when my heavy eyelids pried themselves open to reveal my grey eyes to the world, the first thing I saw/heard, were the rays of the sun shining to light up the dim room and was accompanied by the cheerful singing of a bird nearby.

For awhile, I just laid there on my back and stared blankly at the ceiling overhead as I waited for the rest of my body to awaken. But the quiet rustle of clothes as someone moved about the room made my mind jump start to awareness; pushing away the warmth of the heavy covers, I swung my feet over the edge of the bed to they met the coolness of the wooden floor. That's when my nose had begun to itch, and prompted me to sneeze not only once, but twice.

" Ah, you're awake!"

With bleary eyes I allowed to wander, I soon sought the blond chosen, who was standing near the door already dressed and equipped.

" Did you get enough sleep last night?" Colette inquired with an expression of innocent curiosity slowing dawning on her face. " I kind of noticed how late you returned last night."

Last night? I blinked in mild confusion, since I still had yet to penetrate to the haze of my mind. With a huff, I leaned back on my hands and allowed my head to tilt back so I found myself staring at the ceiling once more. Idly picking through my uncoordinated memories for the answer.

" Hm.... I'm gonna have to get back to you on that one." I replied after a long stretch of silence, bringing my head down to grin to sheepish apology.

" Oh no, that's alright!" Colette waved her hands in a frantic motion. " I'm sorry for asking such a question when you're hardly awake."

I shook my head in bemusement.

" Colette, you don't need to apologize for every little thing you do." I chided lightly, pushing off the bed with my hands so I could stand.

" You're right.. I'm sorry."

I forced my snicker into a cough behind my hand as I moved around and past Colette, heading for my bag which rested against the wall next to the door. " You can go on ahead of me. I'll only be a few minutes." I assured the blond from over my shoulder, when I noticed she hadn't left.

I saw Colette nod in understanding before I turned my attention back to my bag; the closing of the bedroom door followed a few seconds later.

Fishing my brush along with a small pink bag out of my massager bag, I rose to my feet with those items in hand and crossed the room and over to the vanity which sat across from the beds.

' Ick. We need to fix that...' I winced, noting how matted and tangled my hair looked. Picking up the violet-handled brush, I carefully brought it down through a section of my hair, starting from top to bottom and wincing every-time I hit a snarl, which sent small jolts of pain through my head.

' Maybe I should trim it a little...' I mused after finishing with the untangling of my messy mane, setting down the brush to observe myself in the mirror. Seriously people, my hair was a _lot_ longer then most girls my age. Last time I had checked, it was only above my waist. And now it was even longer then Colette's, ending at my butt when it was all brushed out.

Eying my image in the reflecting mirror thoughtfully, I proceeded to weave my hair into a french braid before rolling it into a bun, sticking it in place with spare pins I thankfully had in my little bag.

' There we go.' I smiled in satisfaction at my work. Now knowing my hair wasn't going to be a problem in battle, I turned my attention to other matters. Digging in my bag again, I brought out a little case and a medium-sized bottle; these were my contacts and cleaner. Without them, I was literally almost as blind as a bat. Sure, I had glasses, but I only wore them during the weekends.

' Carefully, carefully...' I chanted mentally as I slowly brought the last contact up to eye-level. Putting in your contact lenses could be a delicate process, no matter how many years you've been doing it.

The knock at the bedroom door came when I was cleaning up my little mess on the vanity. " Yes?" I paused to answer.

" It's Raine." The newcomer replied, her voice strangely muffled due to the fact the door blocked her entry. "Come downstairs as soon as you're finished in here. Someone is here to see you." And with that said, the elven woman walked away, her footsteps growing more subdued the farther away she got.

I stopped for a brief moment to digest the information I was given, before shrugging and went back to cleaning up the rest of my accessories. If someone was here for me, it was probably Taka or Selena. But what could they want?

*~*~*

Knowing I would find out soon enough, I forced myself to quit brooding on it and finished dressing myself within the next five minutes. Really, I wasn't my sister (whom I loved dearly) who needed almost an hour to get dressed _and_ put her make-up on.

' Right, already to go.' I thought idly as I finished tightening my belt (which had my pouches attached to it), letting my own feet blindly guide me down the hall as I concentrated on my little task.

".....Strong-willed."

The faint murmur of voice that echoed from below had me stopping in mid-tug of my belt. I peered over the railing in hopes of seeing my mysterious guest. But they must've been standing near the clerk's desk, because I could not see anyone from where I stood.

Slipping the belt into place, I picked up my pace slightly as I reached the stairs, eager yet apprehensive at the same time to see who the newcomer was. The next series of quiet murmurs had me stopping again, this time at the bottom of the staircase.

"..Are you certain, Taka?" I heard Raine asking with uncertainly. " The last one ever to appear in this world was well over a thousand years ago."

" Selena has never been wrong with her predictions." I recognized Taka's smooth baritone voice assure his fellow elf. The conviction I heard in his tone was strong.. But that didn't mean everyone was persuaded.

" I'm afraid I don't follow." Aurion interrupted. I could hear heavy amounts of skepticism and disbelief in his voice as he spoke. " Are you meaning to tell us..?"

" I believe it is no concern of yours, Aurion." The elf countered smoothly before the mercenary could finish his question. " Your only objective is to get the Chosen One to the Tower of Salvation. You have no need to involve yourself in such.. Trivial affairs."

I sat on the bottom step of the staircase, suddenly weak in the knees as stunned silence took over. I had never heard the elf weapon-smith use such a cold tone before, like the on he had just used on Kratos. It was so.. Rigid, and kind of loathing. But I don't think those two have met before now, so why would Taka–?

A firm tug on my bun yanked me back to reality and left my scattered thoughts behind; I found the hand tilting my head back (using my hair as leverage) until my eyes met amused-filled blue orbs which belonged to Taka, the weapon-smith.

" I believe you were told to come down immediately after you dressed." A ghost of a grin flitted his lips, after watching a slight blush stain my features to show my embarrassment. " Not sit down and daydream."

" S-Sorry!" I squeaked, scrambling to my feet and nearly tripping over myself in the process. " I heard you talking the Professor and thought I should wait.."

But Taka shook his head at my stuttered explanations, placing a large hand on the small of my back to gently push and steer me into the lobby.

" Oh, morning Bev!" Colette greeted me cheerfully, as if we hadn't just seen each other just minutes ago. The blond stood next to her stoic guardian, in front of the clerk's desk just as I had suspected. Kratos had his arms folded in his usual fashion, an emotionless mask in place on whatever was taking place in his head.

But to me, something seemed different. I took a second glance out of the corner of my eye, and realized that his eyebrows were furrowed over so slightly. If it were anyone else, they probably wouldn't of noticed.

" Taka, what are you doing here?" I asked, more curious then confused. It had only been a day since I left, and I was sure I had received everything I needed from them before Lloyd, Genis and I had departed. So what was so important for Taka to track me down in Triet?

" Good to see you in one piece, kiddo." The elf said a good-natured tone, ruffling my head in his own display of affection. I scowled half-heartedly (I could never really be mad at him), using my fingers to comb my hair back in place before repeating the question.

" I'll get to that in a minute." The brunette-elf moved so he leaned against the post (that held up the floor to the upper rooms.), and when he lifted his head to meet my eyes again, the soft and endearing expression that he had taken to wear around me was lost, only to be replaced with a grim and hardened look over his features.

" Just now, Professor Sage was telling me you and Lloyd's escapade with the desians." His voice was dark, and full of disapproval, making me flinch guiltily even though I wasn't in any trouble. " Did they do anything to you?"

I shook my head furiously. " No. Just a little electric shock. But I'm fine now." It was true. After a good nights rest the after-effects of the jolt had worn off. I made a show of stretching my arms over my head to prove it.

That's when a great big 'thunk' echoed from overhead, and was followed by a series of crashes and fragile things breaking. All of us snapped our heads up at once; Colette looked up with curiosity and confusion etched on her pretty face. Kratos, who's hand had moved toward the hilt of the sword the minute he heard the noise, glared up at the wooden floor above us with suspicious eyes.

Both Taka and Raine flinched in surprise, exchanging glances between the two of them before nodding to each other and understanding. And with that, both of them tore out of the lobby area, heading right up the staircase at a fast speed. Colette and I trailed after the two adults, but stopped once we reached the bottom of the stairs.

Moments later, Genis emerged from his inn room he had shared with his sister, casting a look of confusion in the direction of the other rooms as he descended down the stairs.

" Hey, what's with all the commotion?" The mage questioned us once he joined. He looked over to me with a frown as Kratos finally appeared behind his young charge, features tightened with apprehensiveness. " It sounded like it was coming from your room, Bev."

" My room?" I echoed, equally confused. ' But why my room–? Oh–' "–Shit!" I blurted out the last of my line, startling my younger friends as well as earning an odd look from the mercenary.

But instead of sticking around to explain my little outburst, I charged up the stairs in a similar fashion to Taka and Raine. Intent on getting to that room before something drastic happened.

' Azra..... Hold on!' I mentally urged this thought to my young dragon, hoping she heard it and would not opt to attack my other companions out of fear. Ever gratefully how short the hallway was, I skidded to a stop upon reaching the desired room, and quickly reached for the door knob.

" Azra!" I shouted, practically slamming the door open to my nerves. There stood Taka and Raine, one on either side of the trembling fledgling with their weapons out and pointed at the dragon. The commotion the opening of the door had caused, thankfully, drew their attention to me. But they still kept their weapons out.

" Azra, come!" I called to the young creature, stretching out my arms to receive the fledgling. Azra let out a small cry (kinda like one you would hear from a baby dinosaur from _Jurassic Park) _and flew right into my out-stretched arms with such momentum, I was knocked right onto my ass.

This action made Raine's eyebrows raise in surprise, but Taka just sighed and sheathed Eclipse. The elf had figured out over the short time he had known me, was that if I came running straight into these situations without thinking, it was because I usually had something to do with it.

" Beverly." I felt my shoulders hunch in a flinch. It wasn't often I heard that tone come out of Taka, but when he used it, it meant I was in some kind of trouble. " Mind telling me, what you're doing with a full-blooded dragon fledgling in your possession?" Ooh, he made it sound like some kind of crime.

" And is there something wrong with that?" I replied with a defensive question. For some reason, I felt like being difficult this morning. Mom called it a mysterious mood swing; one minute I could be cheerful for no reason, and then the next moment I could be incredibly moody when asked a simple question.

The brunette-headed elf scrubbed his face roughly with a hand, and released another sigh. " Let's just say.. It's very unusual to see pure-blooded dragon out and about. And in the company of a human, no less."

" Pure-blooded dragons are thought to be all but extinct." Raine clarified in a gentle tone, like an adult trying to talk to a young child about a serious manner. " Back in the days were they thrived, they're were usually scene in the company with people of elven blood."

" Hmm.." I demurred, looking down at the baby dragon in my arms. " So what you're saying is, that if I'm seen with Azra at this point, it'll cause a huge, unneeded ruckus?"

" Yes." Taka said, answering in a blunt manner that earned him an odd look from Raine.

' Can't you do anything about it?' I asked Azra, attempting the question through our mental link.

' About what?' She asked back in a childish innocence.

' About you're.. You know, you're _appearance_.'

' You mean, like this?' The questioned ended with a series of crackles and followed by a giant _poof_! Of smoke enveloping around the young fledgling, causing me to jerk my head back in surprise and enticing a gasp from Raine.

But the smoke only lasted for a few seconds, and soon cleared away to reveal the little human form I knew of Azra. I stared down at the little girl, as if my life depended on it. While Azra stared up at me with equal innocent confusion.

Boy, _this_ was going to take awhile to explain.

*~*~

By the time I had finished explaining just exactly _how_ Azra came into my possession (with a little help from Genis), it was almost late morning, exactly almost two hours since I rose up out of bed.

Now I found myself downstairs in the lobby room again, with Taka leaning against the edge of the table had me sit at, rubbing his forehead almost as if this kind thing was natural to him now. Raine sat in a chair to my right, while Kratos leaned against the wall a few feet away, keeping an eye on his charge (who was now currently playing with Azra in her dragon form) while still keeping a ear in the conversation.

" So, let me get this straight..." I frowned, chin resting on my folded hands. " All these things Azra can do now, she shouldn't be able to at this stage?"

" Yes, because technically, Azra is still a _fledgling_." Taka answered wearily. " No dragon I know should have the ability to shape-shift until they're near their adult stage. The fact that our little dragon friend can do that trick _now_, makes me think there's something more to the little one then she's letting you know."

The three of us, Taka, Raine and I, looked over to where Azra and Colette were; Colette was tossing a little ball around for the fledgling, laughing whenever the little dragon chased after it, like a normal pet would.

" So.. What do you suggest I do?" I asked hesitantly, glancing up at my guardian elf. It's not that I didn't trust what Taka was trying to tell me, I was just having a hard time digesting the fact that Azra might me dangerous.

" Take Azra to Lady Celestia." The weapon-smith replied slowly, as if he was unsure of his own answer. " Lady Celestia is an expert when it comes to the lineage of a pure-blooded dragons. Only problem is, she has a bad habit of moving from place to place when it suits her."

" So then why..?"

" Ask Warlic for help, when you arrive in Luin." Taka clarified. " He and Celestia are old friends. And as such, he should know where to find her, and how."

" We should get moving." Kratos announced suddenly, drawing attention to himself for the first time in awhile. I looked up from my position at the table in time to see the mercenary heading out of the inn entrance, which was currently open to welcome any and all guests.

" I suppose so..." Raine sighed out, placing the palm of her hands on the surface of the table to aid her in rising to her feet. " Genis, Chosen One, why don't we head on out, as well?"

" But.. Lloyd's not up yet–"

" I'll wake him up." I volunteered, hearing the scrape of the wooden chair as I pushed it back and rose to my own feet.

The professor placed an arm around the blond chosen's shoulder's, giving me a nod of thanks as she ushered her protesting young charge out the door.

Turning towards the door that led to the room that housed the duo swordsman, I inhaled and quickly let out that breath in a 'here I go' motion.

But I hesitated when I neared the young man's room. Why? I had no clue. I was used to waking up my younger brothers for school all the time. So why was now any different? Shaking my head to dislodge such distracting thoughts from my mind, I raised a hand and rapped my knuckles against the wooden barrier.

" Lloyd, are you awake? Everyone's waiting on you!"

The sound of a muffled crash from on the other side of the door is what answered me; seconds later that door was yanked open, and I had to literally jump out of the way to avoid being bawled over by Lloyd as he sped out of his inn room.

Recollecting myself, I straightened my profile from where I leaned against the wall, and glanced over to where my mentor stood, watching where the duo-swordsman had last disappeared with an unreadable expression.

" Taka?" The elf jerked his head in surprise, as if he had just awoken from a coma-induced sleep, and turned his head in my direction. I continued to watch the man in slight concern. " Is something wrong? You haven't been acting like yourself." Even during our discussion about Azra, the elf had remained incredibly cool and well, _emotionless_.

" No, No." He repeated his answer, raking a hand through his hair. " I'm just a little on edge after certain events. It's nothing to concern yourself over." Re-composing his normal guise, the elf straightened his own posture before walking over to where I stood. He stopped when he was mere feet away from me, and reached behind him to grab something.

I watched on in curious silence, as my temporary guardian seemed to fumble with something attached to his back before bringing it out in front of him.

" Here." In his hand was a small, ordinary brown bag. But I immediately could tell what was inside of the pouch was what I needed to concern myself with.

" I brought this to you for a specific reason," Taka began in a grave manner, watching me as I carefully took the small bag from him and held it gingerly in my hand, eyeing it suspiciously as if it would explode at any given second.

" If what Selena and I have predicted is true, you're going to need that little bag very soon."

" But.. What's inside?" I asked, carefully stowing the bag into one of my empty pouchs.

The brunette elf opened his mouth to reply, but hesitated on giving the direct answer. " Let's just say.. It's your savior." He sighed, mentally berating himself for not being clear when I cast him a odd look. " Just promise me, promise _us_, that'll you'll take those herbs when the time comes. And–" He lifted a hand to cut me off when I opened my mouth to ask. "–believe me, you'll know when."

I closed my mouth, and watched my guardian in confusion as he crossed the lobby floor to exit the building. What on earth could he be talking about? Now I was even more confused and lost then when I first came here, and on the verge of tears as well. When was anything going to make sense to me? And when was I ever going to find my way home?

I just wanted to go _home_, dammnit! Was it too much to ask?!

*~*

" We can finally head out to release the seal," I heard Kratos speak as I joined Taka, who was leaning against the wall of the inn a little ways away from the Chosen's group.

From my position, I could see Lloyd grinning with his barely contained excitement. " Cool! Let's go check out the seal!"

" We'll see if that enthusiasm lasts.." Genis sighed in a here-we-go-again-tone.

Raine glanced over at Taka and I. " And what will you two be doing? I know you have to return to the village, Taka..." Aah, she was asking what _I_ was going to do. I wasn't officially apart of Colette's group, and I didn't know enough fighting to come with them. I would only hinder their progress.

" Hmm, I guess I hang out around the area." I replied with a frown, as if unsure of my own answer. " I can't stay in town, incase the desians come back. I'll come with you to the ruins and wait there. I can keep an eye out for any assassins, especially Ryu. I wouldn't put it past him to be waiting to ambush you when you come out."

" Out of the question." Kratos voice rang out harshly, causing me to raise an eyebrow at the man. Why the heck not? It kept me out of _his _hair, and the group's way, so what was the problem. " If indeed this Ryu is around, it's to dangerous to loiter around. The best option is for you to travel ahead to the nearest port town, and wait for us there."

I fought to keep my expression neutral. " But if he is, I'm more then capable of fending him off." Okay, I was lying right there. I was raised in a town of peace and safety. All of this fighting was new to me, and I had no idea what Ryu was really capable of.

The mercenary seemed in synch with my line of thought. " No. For all we know, this person could kill you before you even have a chance to defend yourself. Head through Ossa Trail, and keep low for our return."

I felt an eyebrow twitch, and scrubbed my face in attempt to keep cool. This man was _really_ wearing my patience thin, right now.

" Fine, fine." I sighed out finally, wearing an expression of tired defeat. " If you think that's the best option for me right now, I'm not going to argue."

Seemingly satisfied with my answer, the swordsman turned heel and started for the desert outside of the city walls, calling for the others to hurry as he went. Raine and Genis, along with Noishe, immediately followed after the mercenary. While Lloyd and Colette lingered behind for a moment.

" Will you be alright, by yourself?" The blond chosen voiced her concerns. Since Slyverant's mana supply was ever dwindling, the monster sightings have increased. Traveling alone in such conditions could be dangerous.

" Don't worry, I'll move fast." I answered her silent question, smiling at the girl reassuringly. " And I have Azra with me." I patted the dragon, who currently roosted on my left shoulder, on the head. " So I won't be completely alone."

" Even so, you don't have to listen to him." Lloyd murmured, referring to the fact that the mercenary had no power over me, if I chose to follow.

" Maybe so, but he is right." I grudgingly admitted. " I've been lucky so far, not having to engage him in battle. He could take me out without breaking a sweat. Or, he could be weak enough for me hold my own. Who knows? But I should move before he finds me."

Raine's voice rang out just then, ushering for her young students to hurry and catch up. Colette obliged at once and hurried off into the blazing desert, but Lloyd had yet to move. Staring at me in friendly concern.

I smiled at the boy, and gripped his shoulders, pushing him after his companions. " _Go_. I'll meet up with everyone later. I promise."

That last sentence seemed to appease the duo swordsman, if only a little. And so, after a last glance at me, the teen picked up his pace and ran after his departing companions. I watched them leave, until their images were swallowed by the blowing sand.

" Well, first things first..." I muttered, turning my back towards the city entrance. " I need to stock up on arrows and remedies. Sound good, Taka?" Silence answered back. " Taka?"

But when I turned, he had already disappeared from his post. ' Most left when I wasn't looking.' I blew noisily through my nose. ' Heh. Good-byes were never his strong-suit.'

*~*

" Man, I'm beat!"

Yet again, the warlock couldn't help be sigh in annoyance at his best friend's complaint. " See? What did I tell you? You're already worn out."

And again, as always, Lloyd seemed to ignore the elf's reprimanding. " I am _sick_ of this desert."

While it's human companions went on debating the issue, the protozoan picked up the un-welcomed presence, even if the humans did not. The pressure was overwhelming, and it was starting to make the dog-creature nervous. Noishe backed up a few paces before letting out a low, worried whine.

" What's wrong, Noishe?" The teen frowned, worried over his pet's odd behavior. He only acted this way if..

Whatever made the protozoan nervous, made it's presence known to the others. Kratos immeditaly hunched his body defensively, making sure he placed himself right in front of his charge. " Be on you're guard! There are enemies about!" The auburn-haired man warned, using his thumb to prop his double-edged sword.

*~*

Meanwhile, unaware of my companions crisis, I found myself traveling through Triet Desert as well, but in the opposite direction of the ruins. At first I felt like following after the group, just to spite the mercenary. But I knew that was childish of me, and not to mention a waste of my energy. So now I was currently half-way to Ossa Trail.

' Man, the sun has no mercy at all...' Even with the offered protection of the cloak I wore, I could still easily feel the heat of the sun beat down on my back as I crossed the sandy grounds. Azra didn't seem to have a problem with it, as she easily kept herself airborne as she followed after me.

" Phew.." Coming to a halt, I wiped the sweat away from my face with the back of my hand.

' Are you alright, Mistress?' Azra easily felt her master's fatigue, raidiating off the young human in waves. And it worried the young dragon.

" I'll be fine.." I breathed, slipping out the folded up made from under my cloak. " See the grass springing up? From the looks of that, and the map, we shouldn't be more then twenty minutes or so away from Ossa Trail. We can take a break then." Twenty minutes wasn't that far off to me, so I knew I could hold up until then.

Folding up the map properly once more, I withdrew it into my cloak and carefully stuffed it in one of the cloth's inner pockets. That, is when I felt it.

' Mistress?' Curious as to why it's young human master had stopped, or in their language, _frozen_ suddenly, the young fledgling rousted on my shoulder, peering around the contours of my clothing to see my face.

I knew Azra was trying to get my attention out of concern, but it didn't matter. Every fiber of my being demanded concentration, all the focus I could get to detect the source of this uneasy feeling.

' There!' It was like pin-pointing a light source in the black-pitched abyss that called itself the darkness. I could feel it moving, quite fast, and right towards me. Alarmed, I broke out of my trance forcefully, and was awarded with a killer-headache, throbbing so hard like it was threatening to break free of my skull.

Swearing under my breath (I seemed to be doing that a lot lately), I clutched my head tightly in one head as I stumbled back, thrown off balance by the sudden pain. But I knew whatever was giving me the chills, was going to arrive on-site of my current location, and I had to move. Now.

Successfully managing to pry my eyes open, I searched with watering orbs for a decent place to hide, making Azra squeak in surprise from her perch every time I moved in a certain direction abruptly.

That's when I found the small cropping of rocks protruding out of the sandy grounds like stalagmite in a cave. There was barely enough space in-between them for me to squeeze in, but what choice did I have? It could hide me from view, provided I didn't breathe too loudly.

And so with that, I snatched Azra from her perch on my shoulder as I moved, once again, making her squawk in alarm as I made a mad dash for the group of rocks. And not a moment too soon. I literally felt my breath catch itself in my throat as the sound of wings flapping in the air reached my ears, just as I managed to skid my way behind the rocks that shielded me. I heard my own heart beat echo in my ears as I crawled my way into the small opening of the boulders just as whatever was airborne, landed on the ground with solid thumps.

A great bout of sand flew up from the ground in the form of a smokescreen, obscuring whoever had arrived from my field of vision, for the moment.

*~*~

"..This is going to be a nuisance." Kratos muttered under his breath, more to himself then to the others. As always, the mercenary's instincts had paid off. No sooner had the man issued the warning, a group of two to three harmful sphere creatures flew out of their hiding places. Fire Elemental's. Nothing too dangerous, but a big annoyance if they weren't immediately dispatched of.

And it didn't help the fact that the Chosen's friends practically knew nothing of battle maneuvers, especially defense tactics. Kratos couldn't help but notice how easily his annoyance rose from healing his companions numerous times during the short battle, particularly Lloyd and his elven friend.

To his misfortune, Lloyd seemed to catch this, and stopped his poking of what remained of the smouldering Fire Elemental monsters to look over at the mercenary. " What is?"

The sound of the duo-swordsman's voice as he asked the question, seemed to knock Kratos out of whatever daze he had been in. " Ah, nothing." Seemingly embarrassed to be caught in such a situation, the older man cleared his throat in attempt to change the subject. " Anyway, it would be a good idea for you to learn techniques for you to protect yourself."

Colette tilted her head to the side, as she often did while she grew up as a way to express her confusion. " Do you mean like self-defense training?"

Kratos found himself sighing as he attempted to reign in what little patience was left. " Something like that. They're techniques to raise your defense during battle." He did a quick survey of the group, pleased he had their undivided attention. " I'll show you how it's done. Once you grasp the theory, the rest should be easy."

*~*~*~*

I soon found my body starting to ache in protest at the way it was currently positioned. My lower half was propped up against the rocks, while my upper half was forced to lay against the hot sand that donned the ground.

The sound of the sand shifting beside me brought my attention away from my current musings; I looked down to my right as Azra re-joined me in our special hiding haven.

' So? How is it?' I hissed at my draco companion through our mental link. No way I could risk talking, not even at a whisper. The strangers were to damn close.

' Not good, mistress.' If Azra had ears, I'm sure they would've drooped. The regret and sadness in her tone led me to think so, along with how the little dragon hunched her small body. ' It's that man. That awful man that tried to hurt you from the other day. Him and his friends have the area completely surrounded.'

I quirked an eyebrow. The man who tried to hurt me? The only person I could come up with, was either Yuan, or Ryu the assassin, along with a handful of Renegades.

Frustrated at the sudden turn of events, I left my breath hiss out slowly and allowed my body to slump down even further. I couldn't stay here forever. The pain that was continually building up in my body from staying in such a position wasn't going to allow that option.

So the question now was– how on earth, was I going to get out of this one?

Author's Note:

Well, that end's chapter eight, part one! Ooh, looks like I left Bev in a nasty position, didn't I? *chuckles nervously*

The next part of the chapter will definitely include the Seal of Fire, so look forward to it! Please R&R!


	9. Dangerous Night

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Good evening, Minna-san!

(throws self on ground) I'm sooooooo sorry I've been absent..(checks last update) for almost a year and a half! Things have been really hectic in my life so I decided to take a break and sort them all out. Plus I was going to be a senior soon, and senior year is imporant to a lot of people. But anyway, I'll stop so you can go on and read this chapter. Actually, I was going to surprise you with TWO chapters, but I'm kinda stumped on the other one, so I'm uploading this one for now.

I hope you can forgive me!

Chapter Nine– Dangerous Night

Time passed. I don't know _how much_ time passed, put the slow sinking of the sun, accompanied by the darkening of the skyline assured me that time had definitely passed since I crawled into my little hiding haven. My guess? It was probably late afternoon, almost early evening.

Picturing how ridiculous I probably looked right now, with my legs braced up against the rocks and my upper half pressed along the now cool sand, I let out a low, frustrated growl at myself. How on earth did I end up like this again? It was just my luck I had to be in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

Azra had fallen asleep not to long ago, leaning her comfortable weight against my hip and curling herself into a ball. Her back rising every now and then to indicate her peaceful sleep.

I felt my heartache at the sight. For some strange and bizarre reason, she reminded me a lot of my feline companions back home. ' I hate to wake her up, but we need to move.' The voices of the strangers that had once been close, now sounded gradual and quite far off, indicating that they had moved quite a bit since their arrival. And because of that, I had decided now was a good chance to try and move.

Carefully, I slowly lowered my legs from their position against the boulders surface, and slid them outside of my rocky protection and into what little sun was left. ' That's a little better.' I left out a tiny sigh of relief, stretching out my long legs to remove any painful kinks. I still had to slouch my upper body so I wouldn't ram my head on the rocks, though.

' Hmm...' Once again, I was careful not jar the sleeping dragon as I eased the rest of my body out of my hiding place. Then I turned around so I was on my knees, and crawled back in. Why am I doing this, you ask? Simple. At this angle, I still hid myself, and I could spy on the group of people nearby.

' So I was right.' I thought, a smile tightening my lips into a grim, dark line. I narrowed my eyes as I watched a couple of soldiers pass my hiding spot. ' They _are_ Renegades.'

Now, a lot of people would question my logic. And why blame them? Yuan's renegades looked exactly like any other desian. So how could I tell? The renegades had metal plating on their gloves. Where as other desians wore simple leather gloves, nothing else.

But even as I answered my doubts, another question popped into mind. What were the Renegade's doing, searching around the desert? Were they looking for something, or someone?

' What is it?' I glanced down to my right, only to see Azra looking right back up at me with sleepy, blood-red eyes. I shook my head in reply, then pointed to another opening in the rock formation, indicating I wanted her to observe as well.

' Hm, I'd say there's probably around 10-20 men.' I mused thoughtfully, as I continued to watch their actions.

' Not a whole lot if I had the others with me, but still too many for me to take them on by myself.' I paused for a moment. Or were they? Could I take them on? It was still risky, I could get caught again. And I had a feeling Kratos would not halt the journey again to save my sorry ass.

I let out an angry sigh and rested my forehead against the smooth, cool surface of a boulder.

Now what?

" Well?"

I felt my body jolt, bashing the top of my head on one of the diamond-hard rocks due to my ever-vigilant

air-headed moments. Instantly I felt the expected pain spread across the injured area like a blanket of hurt; I

gripped my head in both my hands, working hard to bite back a string of curses. But damn, that _hurt_! What were these rocks made of, steel?

With pain-caused tears still remaining in my eyes, threatening to overflow and run down my face, I looked up again to glare at the cause of my sudden misfortune: Ryu.

The assassin stood just mere feet away from my hiding haven, and a young woman stood beside him as he addressed his men. Her back and her hair-style looked very familiar to me, but until she turned, or at the very least, spoke, I couldn't identify her. For the moment.

" Any sign, yet?" He questioned, arms folded in a don't-mess-with-me fashion.

Seemingly nervous, several renegades exchanged glances with each other. Finally, someone spoke up. " N-No, sir." One of the soldier's answered with hesitance. " Our scout tipped us that one of the Chosen's companions was heading towards Ossa Trail directly from Triet;. traveling with the dragon fledgling at her side."

That frown the assassin wore flipped to a smirk. " Alone? Perfect. Then it'll make things go a lot easier and faster. The woman herself won't be a problem . Spread out! She must still be hiding somewhere nearby. In the meantime, I will return to base and report to Father."

" YES SIR!"

It sounded like they were looking for something of a great deal of importance, my earlier memories warning me that it was most likely Azra; Didn't Raine say that pure-blooded dragons were supposedly extinct? That had to attract some attention if they knew what she was. Well, what ever the reason for their particular behavior was, they were going to eventually going to find me if I stayed here. I needed to move.

While keeping a careful eye on the guards who had spread themselves widely around the area, I slowly and carefully inched myself out of my hiding haven once more, one hand gripping Akiva till my knuckles went white. I never felt more nervous in my life. Well, maybe I have, it's just been awhile. Keeping low to the ground, I used my free hand to motion to Azra to follow as I began to make my way along the sandy ground.

But I hesitated when I came to the end of the rock formation. Once I left this cover, I was wide open to be spotted or attacked. How should I proceed? I preferred to get away without drawing attention from Ryu, the stranger, and the renegades. But that seemed impossible at the moment.

" Colette... has wings!" Those words left Lloyd's move with a tone of awe, as he stared at his best friend's back, where the appanages has sprouted. Just moments before they had defeated the Seal of Fire's guardian, the fire cat Kutgach. It hadn't been easy, and the cat proved to be a great foe.

But after they had managed to cooperate, and under Kratos's guide and command, they had finally been able to fall the great beast. And the reward for completing the first task, was a gift of power from Cruxis. And due to that power, Colette had earned her angelic wings.

The blond-haired Chosen, upon hearing her beloved friend speak with astonishment, turned around to face the rest of her group with a bright grin stretched on her pretty face, her sky-blue eyes twinkling.

" Uh-huh." She nodded her head in agreement to Lloyd's earlier statement. " And look, I can put them away, too." Colette turned her back to them again in order to demonstrate; one moment the pink-fuschia transparent wings stuck out of the teens back, clear as day and fluttering softly. Then, quite literally a second later, the disappeared from view, leaving a pinch of sparkles to float gently to the ground from the absence of the appendages.

Genis was the first to recover from his bout of shock, only to jump up and down in excitement. " Oh, wow! That's so cool!" The small elven boy cheered.

His apparent happiness was all that was needed to spurt on Colette's own. She looked her her shoulder, her grin impossibly larger then before. " Here. look, look!" And without further ado, the blond summoned her angelic wings forth once more. But this time she made a show of flapping her wings as fast as humanly possible, exciting her younger friend even further.

The older three of the small group turned their backs on the hyper-active teens, all of them making faces either in disapproval, annoyance, or just plain amusement.

The younger swordsman was the first to speak up, his voice raising an ocative to pronounce his eagerness. " He said the next seal is across the sea! That means we get to sail on a boat!" An excited grin, much like his best friend's when he witnessed the ceremony, spread across his face like a contagious disease. " Haha! I can't wait!"

Raine found herself suppressing the will to shudder at her student's mentioning of 'sea'. " A ship? Hmm... I wonder if there are any vessels sailing with the world in such a condition..."

Their mercenary companion let out a small, almost non-existing sigh. " At any rate, we should head to the coast and see what we can find." His amber-brown eyes flicked in Lloyd's direction for a spare second. " Evans should be waiting for us. And with any luck, she should've found someone who's agreed to help."

Lloyd perked up at the sound of his new friend's name come out of the older man's mouth, while Raine swivelled her head to look at the mercenary in slight alarm, only to relax her tense body seconds later. " Ahh, that's right. I had almost forgotten the Beverly was traveling with us on her own accord, not as part of the Regeneration." It made perfect sense why the young woman would be asking for a ride to the other side of the continent. Her goal after all, was to travel to Luin and meet with someone known as Warlic, the Blue Mage.

In all of my seventeen years of life, I have never been in a more worse situation. Here I was stuck in a scorching-hot desert with the sun beating down at my back like an angry glare, and I was still in very much danger of being discovered by the sword-armed soldiers. Talk about bad luck.

' Gah, this is so frustrating!' I grinded my teeth harshly together as an attempt to rein in my negative emotions before they got me discovered. Not only was I alone, but I was also severely out-numbered and skilled. Below at my feet, Azra let out a soft coo of comfort and rubbed her scaley head against the bare skin of my leg.

The way I saw things, I only had two options: find a better hiding spot and wait for the others to pass, or fight my way through and run for the port city.

" Man! This is ridiculous!"

Startled from the sudden outburst of voice, I felt my body lose the precious balance I needed as I sat on my heels and fell backwards to land on the scorching sand. At that time I had to be thankful that the material I had landed on shifted quietly under my weight. If it had been grass, I would be a dead girl right now.

" Does the that arrogant kid actually think that we'll find that lizard in this damned desert?" The taller soldier grumbled to his companion as they made their way past the rock formation that hid me, with me making sure to shift myself and Azra so we remained out of sight as they moved.

" Watch it you fool! This is the leader's kid we're talking about." The other renegade hissed out. His voice was a little deeper then his partner's, but it made it easier for me to tell them apart. " Do you _want_ to die?"

" Heh, are you sure about that?" I heard the taller man snort doubtfully as they came to a stop just a few feet away from my earlier position. " How can we be sure that brat is the boss's son? I mean, they look nothing _alike_!"

" I said shut up, you _**fool**_! If you know what's good for you–"

Sensing now would be a good time to slip away from the now bickering guardsmen, I slid away from the rocks and motioned for Azra to follow before continuing to quietly make my way away from potential danger. If I could hurry, I could still make it through the pass before the others caught up.

"- _**you**_..."

It had been the sensation that had reached me and startled me first; like a blade of ice running cruelly down my spine in a new form of torture...

But it was the voice that got to me the most– it didn't sound like anything _humanly_ I knew of, and yet.. Why did it seem so familiar, even though I was certain I've never heard it before in my life?

' _No_, _**stop**__it Evans.' _I shook my head roughly in attempt to clear it as I began to pick up the pace a bit. ' _I __**really**__ need to stop over-analyzing things at times like this!_' I was making good ground away from the renegades and towards my desired destination, but even then I knew I was going to have to find shelter for the night as I eyed the darkening skyline above me.

Hopefully I could still do the trick of resting my eyes I learned when I was younger, because the more I thought about it sleeping outside in the open seemed very risky with the large amount of monsters about.

" _Hey you_!"

' Oh man..' I felt myself nearly trip on a uprise of sand upon hearing those words ring out in a loud volume. So those dim-witted guards finally decided to take notice.. just my luck.

" Azra, get ready!" I raised my voice for the fledgling who had now noticed I was not following anymore and was circling around to join me; I took that time to swing around to face my oncoming enemies and slid out a couple arrows out of my quiver.

I really, _really_ didn't like this arrangement, but if I didn't take out the guardsmen before they reached me, I was in for a world of trouble that was going to be a lot harder to bail out of.

" _Holy Arrow_!"

The projectile flew through the air with an more incredible speed then before, as if the arrow itself sensed the dire situation and picked up the pace. I couldn't help but tighten my mouth into a grim line even as the blazing arrow managed to nail the bowman in the junction where his shoulder met his collar-bone. This was going to be one long night...

" You little _brat_!" His swordsman companion seethed through clenched teeth as he snatched his broadsword from it's sheath that dangled from his hip. " You'll pay for that..!"

The man was no amateur as I had originally thought as I swung to the side in order to avoid a dangerous sweep of the wide sword, but the way he stumbled after missing his desired target told me he was possibly still clumsy then Lloyd when it came to controlling it.

" Whoops..!" I murmured under my breath as I almost fell flat on my butt again as I quickly ducked another angered swipe of the broad-steel weapon. Gathering up my courage and momentum, I moved around to the front of the guard and charged.

Immediately catching the man off guard with the first punch in the jaw, I followed through with a couple more before shoving him back with a harsh kick in the chest that had him skidding a few feet. Dazed, the guard looked up to retaliate but instead got another nasty smack in the chin from my round-house kick again, forcing the man's head to snap to the side from the force.

Unfortunately the guardsman recovered a lot faster then I had anticipated, and managed to nail me so hard with a punch of his own that it sent me flying a couple of feet. I twisted my body, managing to land crouched down on my knees before the enemy had a chance to follow up on his attack.

' Damn, that hurt.' My jaw throbbed from the damage it had taken, but it was nothing I couldn't handle like I have in the past. Feeling irritated now, I glared up at the half-elf as I wiped excess blood from my chin. This man was _so_ going to pay for hitting a girl's face..!

Shoving myself back to my feet, I grinded my feet against the sand before running off in a dash. But the elf swordsman must've predicted that movement, for the moment I was inches away from landing a kick to his midriff the warrior leaped in the air, flipping over my head as I skidded useless along the sand after missing my target.

" Argh! Stupid jerk!" Without getting up I reached for Akiva and a couple of arrow, not wasting anytime aiming for the guard as he fell towards the ground. " Let's see you dodge this—!"

Something with an extremely sharp edge cut along my forearm with precision, causing pain to immediately inflame along the wounded area and made me drop my weapon with a cry of pain.

' How careless, I almost forgot about the other one!' I gripped my bleeding arm tightly in attempt to stifle the extreme pain I was experiencing. But because I was so immersed in my wound I had become distracted to the danger that was still around.

The desian swordsman took advantage of this, creeping up behind me with his sword held over his head while his companion stood off to the right, crossbow at ready incase I tried to make another break for it.

' _WATCH OUT!' _

A chorus of grunts of pain snapped me out of my daze; acting as fast as I could I swung my leg along the earth in a arc, knocking the swordsman to the ground and allowing me to scramble to my feet and get away. The sound of wings beating against the wind alerted me to Azra's presence as I ran.

" Thank you so much, Azra..!" I gasped, glancing at the baby reptile as she flew effortlessly along my side. " That was a close one!"

'...' The young dragon was silent, and remained that way as we got a good distance away from the guardsmen. By then time we were able to reach the foot of Ossa Trail, my lungs felt heavy and ready to burst. Not to mention my my arm ached terribly from being brushed by the chilly wind. But above all I was just glad to get away alive and in one piece.

' _That was reckless_.' Azra folded her leather wings and plunked herself at my feet as I collapsed to the ground out of sheer exhaustion.

" Oh be quiet.." I huffed while trying to drag in much needed air at the same time. " You think.. I had.. a choice?"

The young dragon didn't reply to that, rather she let out an odd sounding snort through her nose and turned her head away as if saying, " _Humans.._"

For awhile I just sat there, head tilted back to receive the cool night air as I pondered over my options. Right now I wasn't too far from the Ossa Trail, maybe another ten to twenty minute walk and I would reach it no problem. But right now the skyline had completely darkened and few stars were out, making it extremely difficult to see what was in front of me.

' Staying where I am until dawn approaches is not an option.' I immediately ruled the notion out. It might've been safer, except by then the others would've caught up to me easily. They were expecting me to be waiting for them in Izoold.

" No choice then.." I murmured aloud and pushed myself to my feet, wincing when my exhausted muscles protested against the movement. " Let's get moving, Azra."

' _As you wish_.'

After a quick dusting of the dirt on my clothes I gathered up Akiva and the quiver, situating them on my shoulder once more before I began to stride forward towards my desired destination.

" Hmm?"

' _What is it now?_' This was said with a hint of impatience.

" Ah, nothing really. I just thought I felt the ground shaking... must've been my imagina–" A squeak escaped my mouth before I even released it when the sensation came again. "–or maybe not..!"

' _Master, MOVE!' _Azra scampered away from the heaving earth, leaving me to follow at a more slower and clumsy pace (you try running with the earth moving underneath you!). ' _Master_!'

" I'm moving, I'm moving!" I snapped, patience finally worn out. " And stop calling me Mast–!" The rest of the word was last in a breathless gasp as the ground under me crumbled away to nothing. All time seemed to slow down for me as I felt my body fall towards the black abyss below. Fear filled every inch of my being, until I couldn't take it anymore and allowed my mind to surrender to the darkness.

"..How do you feel, Colette?"

" Well.. I'm sorry that I cause you so much trouble."

" You idiot! It's perfectly fine, you don't have to apologize." The retort came out a playful annoyance. " You just suddenly transformed into an angel, right?"

The blond chosen looked down at her folded hands with a sad smile. " An angel..."

" But I have to admit that I was really surprised when wings sprouted from your back!" Lloyd informed his beloved friend with his goofy grin, unaware that the last sentence caused an wave of unease to ripple through the girl.

" Ah.. were they weird?" Came the squeaked question.

" What?"

" Well, you know.." Colette fumbled nervously with her clothes. " The wings on my back."

" What are you talking about?" The duo swordsman smiled ruefully at the blond as if they had been through this talk a hundred times. " Whether you become an angel or not, you are you, and you'll always be Colette."

The chosen stared at her beloved swordsman for a moment or two in surprise, digesting what was said before she let out her relived, heartwarming smile. "..You're right!"

" Well, you should get some rest."

" Right..."

Satisfied that his friend would get the rest her body would naturally require, the brunette leaned back on his hands to turn his sight up towards the obsidian sky, to study the twinkling lights that watched over them. But as time continued to pass in silence, Lloyd's thoughts began to turn to other things.

' World Regeneration, huh...' The teen let out a quiet sigh. The journey was turning out to be a lot different then he had originally thought. It was lot more complicated, but challenging in a satisfying way; Lloyd felt his lips curling into a grin at the thought of encountering the next seal, wondering if it was going to be hard or as fun as the previous seal.

The sound of the rustling of cloth caught the brunette's short attention span, a quick careless glance to the right told him it was just his female companion shuffling in her sleep, her sunlight hair reflecting through the light of the growing fire that sat just to their left.

Lloyd couldn't help but exchange his smirk for a soft smile as he gazed fondly at the young chosen for another moment or two before returning to his stargazing. He knew the worst of Colette's 'trial' illness was over, but he still couldn't help but wonder and worry what other trial and challenges this journey of regeneration had in store for her.

Her 'mission', was far from over.

Releasing another sigh, the duo swordsman straightened his posture and reached over for his knapsack that laid discarded next him and withdrew a small bundle of cloth from within it, turning it over his hand to unfold it and reveal golden-platted almost feminine looking twin bracelets with strange wording carved into them.

Taka had worked on and processed them just before the swordsman had decided to follow after Colette, giving them to the swordsmen to finish and hand over to his newest friend, Bev.

" _That girl will need all the help she can get while she's here." _Lloyd recalled his earlier conversation with Taka, Iselia's weapon-smith and temporary guardian to the young outsider. _" Everything in this world that's new or different to her, could be lethal."_

"_..Lethal?"_

" _Yes. Lloyd, our way of life is common almost normal to us. But this girl has lived a very sheltered and protected livelihood. That is why we must do what we can to help her to survive." _

" _Alright, you got it!" The duo swordsman accepted the bracelets as if they were as fragile as glass, and looked up at the elf with a grin of determination. " I'll finish this bracelets if it's the last thing I do!"_

_Taka smiled at the energetic boy softly, knowing he had made the right choice as he watched the brunette wrap the accessories with care in a spare cloth he had on hand._

" _I'm trusting you... Lloyd."_

"–Lloyd..!"

Startled back to reality by the calling of his name, Lloyd scrambled into a straighter sitting position and swung his head around to meet the source of the noise. Kratos stood behind the boy, wearing his normal emotionless mask as he looked down at the younger swordsman. But this time there seemed to be a hint of irritation towards the teen's lack of attention.

" You should get to bed soon." The mercenary sat down to Lloyd's left. " We leave just after dawn. Remember that."

" I know, I know..." Lloyd rolled his eyes slightly at the older man before returning to his task of re-wrapping the bracelets in their protective cloth. But a violet-gloved hand reached out and gently took a hold of it.

" Where did you get this?"

" Oh, those? They're for Bev. Taka our village blacksmith asked me to finish them so they would be complete for her to use before she separates from us. Said they're supposed to act as a guard for her against most damage she would take in battle."

" Hmm..." The auburn-haired man stared at the trinkets a moment longer before handing them over to Lloyd again, instead taking out a whittle stone and began to work it along his faithful double-edged sword. Lloyd safely stowed the bundle in his bag and turned back towards the older man as he made himself comfortable on his side and propped his cheek on his hand.

" Hey, Kratos?"

"..What?"

" Do you.." The boy paused a brief moment, as if to rephrase his question. " Is there something you don't like about Bev? Do you not trust her?"

For the next several moments the mercenary did not answer, merely carrying on with his simply little chore of caring for his weapon. Finally, the man slipped his sword back into his protective sheath before answering.

" No, that is not it."

Lloyd raised an eyebrow in disbelief. " Really? Then what is it?"

"..." Kratos fell into silence again, the light of the dancing flames in front of them creating shadows on his face that created an illusion of dark brooding. "..Just go to sleep, Lloyd."

" H-Hey!" The teen huffed in protest when the mercenary rose to his feet and walked away, but did not pursue the subject any further in fear of waking his other companions (and invoking his teacher's wrath ). Instead, the boy rolled onto his back with his arms to cushion his head.

' Bev..' The brunette let his eyes trail up to the starry sky above. ' Be careful...'

Drip.. drip.. drip..

Ever so softly I felt that sound echo within my drifting conscious, as if beckoning to me in it's own way.

' Wh...What h-happened?' Reflexively I curled my hands and moved to shift my body in a more comfortable position when I felt pain flare from the elbow of my left arm and up. Pain was never a good sign. ' I-I think, I was outside... There were desians...' When my eyes refused to reveal the outside rule to me, I forcibly pried them open and found myself staring at a dark, almost invisible rock ceiling.

" Where am I...?" I managed to croak out loud, and winced when my throat protested with soreness. ' And how long have I been out..?' Swallowing, I moved my lead-filled arms to the sides of whatever I was laying on and pushed with all my might, cursing inwardly when my limbs quaked with the effort. Especially when the left arm continued to gave off stabs of pain from the movement.

After achieving the simple but exhausting task, I leaned myself against the cold and rough edge of a cave wall as I let my exhausted eyes wander around the small, enclosed area I was apparently in.

' A.. Cave of some sort?' I favored my smarting arm. ' I wonder– could it be...?' There was only one place that came to mind with a cave-like interior that was supposed to be in this area. If I was right on the mark, I could be meeting a certain individual soon. Or I could be completely wrong and fell in some random cave nearby. Only one way to find out.

" Up we go...!" I murmured as I hefted myself off the smashed crate and onto the soil-adorned floor, sparing a quick glance at the ruined object before wincing and hurried away. ' I'm not that heavy... am I?'

Fortunately, it only took a minute or two to leave the small enclosing and enter the main trail— which were un-conveniently (or conveniently, depends on which way you look at it) filled with nasty-looking monsters. I shivered and drew back to hide behind an out-cropping of rocky wall. ' Great... Now what?' I instinctively reached behind me and touched the weapon (which thankfully didn't fly off somewhere when I fell) on my back. And come to think of it, where the hell was Azra? Didn't she fall down the hole with me? But the groan of a nearby zombie told me that I had to make a choice, and I had to make it _now._

' Ugh..!' I swallowed the invisible lump in my throat and tightened my grip on Akiva as the monster's shuffling grew louder. ' Ah hell!' I threw out all caution and whipped around, stepping out of my make-shift hideout to confront the horror. The zombie let out a high-pitched shriek upon finding new prey in it's path, it's blood red-eyes pulsing with it's insatiable hunger.

' Disgusting..!' I ducked to avoid a dangerous swipe from the distingrating creature and used the rest of the momentum to twirl gracefully to place myself behind the bumbling enemy. This type of monster, although low on the danger meter, was going to cause me some trouble.

The problem? I was necrophobic. So every undead enemy/monster I ran into was going to make my life miserable.

" Stay calm, stay calm..." I chanted under my breath as I quickly reached back and drew two arrow shafts. These things were usually slow moving, so maybe—

" Oh shit!" The squealed curse popped out of my mouth out of reflex when the dead monster whirled around in my direction before I had been able to finish my battle plan, decaying arms raised to do some serious damage to it's intended target. And because of my phobia, I was to hasty in attacking, causing my attack to go wide of it's mark; one arrow managed to nick the monster shoulder, but the other flew completely over it's head. The undead creature retaliated by taking advantage of my stumble and sent me crashing onto my back with a harsh swing of it's limb.

I let out a groan of pain, unable to move at the moment due to feeling winded from that last attack. But unfortuntely, it also made me an easier target to the monsters who were beginning to swarm around me. Great.. Could this situation get any worse?

" _MASTER!"_

The zombie, who had been about to strike the finishing blow, paused in it's antics and raised it's head as if to scent the air. To my bafflement, the other monsters did the same. Wasting no time in taking this chance, I mustered what little strength I managed to regain within the last several seconds and slammed my booted foot square into the zombie's cheek; the monster let out a trembling moan of pain and stumbled back.

" _MASTER! WHERE ARE YOU?"_

" Here, Azra! I'm _here_!" I called out as loudly as possible as I scrambled back to my feet. The moment I had recongnized the fledgling's voice, hope and excitement flooded through my tired body like a warm blanket and gave me the strength I needed. Although confused, I used it to throw myself back away from the zombie and retrieved another arrow from my quiver.

" Sacred Arrow!" I released the bolt and watched with complete satisfaction as it struck the undead monster with so much volcity the zombie crumbled to ash almost instantly. I looked back to see the rest of the creature's friends promptly get torched by a powerful flamethrower from my young dragon companion.

" _Master!" _Azra flew over, coming to a halt inches from my face that had me flinching in surprise. _" Are you alright? Do you have any injuries? I'm—"_

" Whoa, whoa! One thing at a time, little one!" I couldn't help but laugh as I gathered the reptile in my arms and squeezed her tightly. " I'm so glad I found you..!"

" _Hey, that should be my line!"_ Azra huffed, wiggling so her head was free to look up at me. _" I can't believe how incredibly clumsy you are! Falling down that hole–"_

" Well _excuse_ me! How the hell was I supposed to know the ground was going to open up beneath me?"

Any retort or smart-ass response the young fledgling was sure to throw back was cut off by a distant, but _bone-chilling_ inhuman roar; the noise had the hair on the back of my neck raising and, from a spare glance in Azra's direction, it had disturbed my partner as well.

"...What the hell?" I spoke at least, instinctively reaching back to grab another arrow and froze when my fingers felt nothing but air. ' Uh-oh...' Did I just use my last arrow a moment ago? If so then I was in a lot of trouble...

" _We should move, Master._"

" I know, I know.." I murmured while making rounds around the small cavern room in attempt to find stray arrows that previous adventurers or miners might've left behind.

" _Master NOW!"_

Startled by the fledgling's burst of anger, I turned around hastily to intercept the dragon as she made to butt me in the head and ended up tripping on something hidden by the shadows on the ground; I made a show of waving my arms like a windmill in attempt to stay on my feet with no avail, surely making my partner sweatdrop as she continued to watch me fall through a weak part of the rock cavern wall and send of a cloud of dirt.

" O-Oww..." I couldn't help but whine when my back made contact with a series of hard and sharp objects on the floor of dirt. Continuing to make small noises of pain I slowly rolled off my back and onto my knees, using the wall as support as I pushed myself onto my feet again as Azra flew through the man-made hole.

" _Are you alright?_" There seemed to be more amusement then concern when the dragon asked the question, heightening my sense of embarrassment.

' I never expected to pull a Colette moment...' I rubbed my sore back and lifted my head to survey the room I had

"accidentally" discovered. Light filtered through a few small holes in the ceiling above, but the sunlight that managed to get through was strong enough to light up the entire chamber and it's descriptions. A handful of skeletons scattered all throughout the room, but what caught my interest the most were chains chained to the ceiling and leading down to wrap itself around an ancient yet powerful looking sword sticking from the ground.

" What is this..?"

Unfortunately, Azra had no time to answer (or at least try). The rocky wall in front of us suddenly shattered under an unknown force, sending rocks of all sizes hurtling right at us. I managed to throw myself into a clumsy back flip that put distance between me and the creature that had broken the wall; Azra flew to my side with incredible speed and placed herself in front of me, arching her back and letting out a dangerous growl like a cat would to an intruder on their territory.

The thing was _freaking __**huge**_. I didn't even know how it managed to stand all the wall up without constantly crashing it's head on the ceiling (probably wouldn't bother it though). Anyway, the creature in question with the monsterous height was a jet black, demonic skeleton with a nasty looking horn protruding from it's head. And when the monster lowered it's blood-red eyes and locked them onto my figure, I knew I was in a deep, heap of trouble from the shock that coursed down my spine the moment it looked at me.

Wait a moment.. I think I know the name of this monster– at least I know I've seen it in the game before. I mean, I think you would remember the names of some of the most annoying enemies in the game, wouldn't you?

Unfortunately the angry roar the monster emitted again told me I was going have to save it for another time. Tensing my whole body for action, I watched the demonic creature with careful eyes as it wrestled itself into the room, weapons and all. And when I meant weapons, I meant the dangerous and lethal looking swords and axes it wielded in all six arms, poised to sink into the tender flesh of it's intended victim. Wait a minute, why am I scaring myself?

Heinous growling that sounded from close by brought back to attention and had me redirecting my gaze to the hole behind the giant creature, inhaling sharply when I saw a group of at least two zombies and three skeleton soldiers take their place on both sides of their supposed master.

As I continued our little stare-down, the more hopeless I felt the situation become. It took me longer to fight the average field monsters that only took Lloyd and the others mere minutes to defeat, and to even try to take on these monsters while the demonic creature was around... Part of me was really hope that all of this was a really bad dream, and that if I let myself get killed I would wake up, only to wake up safe and sound in my bed and get scolded by my mother for sleeping half the day away.

The sound of scrapping against rock jolted me back into reality again as the monsters began their slow advance towards me, while I found myself stepping back in response. I knew there was another hole that I myself had made several moments ago, if I could just figure out some kind of distraction—

" _MASTER!"_

Already I felt my body jerk to the side in order to avoid a dangerous swipe from one of the skeleton soldiers, spinning around to place myself away from the others as the charged in pursuit. I spared the demonic skeleton a quick half-second glance as I was forced to back away from my exit, a little bothered when it made no move to join the battle, as if merely observing in curiousity or silent amusement.

Azra threw herself into the frey the moment one of the monsters had taken a swing at me, easily burning down the two zombies before they had a chance to make an attempt on my life, circling around to make the same attack on the monster soldiers. But the one that had been closer at the moment simply lifted his circular shield and blocked the rock-melting flames, prompting a screech of rage from my dragon partner.

Taking the distraction as a chance, I hurriedly moved to the opposite side of the cavern where I had seen something glinted and knelt down to inspect. If I was right...

" Yess...!" I hissed in delight upon finding a bundle of unbroken arrows. If I had to wager a guess, I'd say there where at least 10 to 20 arrows in this bundle. I quickly slipped the majority of the beads into my empty quiver while keeping at least three arrows out for use, then stood up and took aim at the group of monsters Azra was battling with.

" Damn monsters..!" I muttered darkly to myself, then let them loose. As the previous ones, the arrows gained a silvery-white aura as the zoomed towards their target, tearing the skeleton that had blocked Azra's flames in half before it's remains turned to ash and fell to the ground. Clearly outraged at the loss of their companion (or being attacked from behind), the remaining two let out growls and charged towards me. Feeling a bit more confident now I had a weapon to protect myself with again, I smirked in challange and leaped out of the way with grace.

" Azra, distract them again and I'll handle the rest!"

The young fledgling let out a roar of agreement before unleashing another blazing attack at the duo, managing to shove them off balance and into the wall. I danced to the side a leashed another arrow as quick as I could, watching in total satisfaction (and relief) as the bolt managed to pin the both of them to the wall before they turned into ash seconds later.

I drew in a deep breath and released in a long drawn-out sigh, turning with narrowed eyes to the black demonic skeleton that had yet to move. Just what on earth could be going through that thing's head...? Either way, I was still in a deep heap of trouble if I didn't figure a way to escape from this monstrous creature.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Well, there you have it, there's chapter nine. I hope it was good enough for my extended absence. Chapter Ten is just about 80% done, so it shouldn't (I'm praying it's not) take to long to finish. It the meantime I'm watching the Symphonia Animation to try to break through my writer's block.

Anyone who want's to watch it:

Go to and type in it's title in the search engine.

Jya ne!


	10. Reunion and Mystery

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Here's the tenth chapter!

*bangs head on desk* Ugh.. I finally finished it. And it's (checks clock) quarter to three. Holy crap _

Things have been kind of busy since I started my summer classes. But the upside to them is I don't have to get up early like I did last year. And the teacher's really nice. I like him.

Anyway, this chapter's kinda filler-ish, but I hope you enjoy it all the same!

Yoline Nimai: I'm so glad you like my story. I'm aiming to be a mystery writer like Nora Roberts, so any criticism or suggestions will be welcomed.

The Lone Canine: I'm happy you like my story, little brother. Please tell me what you think of this latest chapter.

AquaticWings: I'd thought it be more interesting if I mixed game, manga, and anime together. To make it stand out. Bev did not go with the group because she had no reason to. She's just trying to get home before things get complicated, which probably won't happen (smiles mysteriously)

DG a.k.a Demon Gurl: I agree with the anime being too fast. But it has some interesting scenes to mix in, and it's not the only source I'm basing the story off of, so don't worry. Please enjoy this next chapter!

Moon Seraph 12: typos? I'll give typos (grumble, grumble)

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the character's of Symphonia, just my OCS.

Chapter Ten– Reunion and Mystery

" _Ugh_.."

I sub-consciously heard my own groan as it rang out, magnified much louder from it's usual tone due to bouncing off the enclosed walls of the mine walls so many times; I felt the pain from the previous attack slam into my body again double-fold when I tried to drag in much needed air and let out a low whimper of distress. Man– that _hurt_!

' What the..?' I questioned bitterly as I fought to tamp down the pain. ' What the hell happened to me?.' Bits and pieces of memories of the earlier battle briefly flashed through my mind, but they were so tiny and messed up, I had a hard time putting them together. The only thing I gained was a headache that made me cringe outright before I forced myself to roll onto my back.

All was exceptionally quiet right now, save for the occasional howl of a monster further down in the mines and the drip of an unknown water source. It made me want to fall asleep right there, being lulled by all the soft rhythmical sounds around me.

But the sudden outburst of light shone forth, as if objecting my body's actions. With a tilt of my head, I found the light source was coming from the huge ancient sword sticking out of the earth next to my left arm, and for awhile I just continued to stare at the weapon, slightly memorized by the rainbow aura it give off as it shined on and off like a gentle heartbeat.

' Pretty...' I couldn't help but think childishly while slowly reaching for it with a weak hand. But the moment my fingers were within inches of touching the strangely-designed blade, the sword itself gave off a huge pulse of light which in turn blinded my already-tired eyes.

"_..Look out!"_

"_-thos, must you always disagree?"_

" _Thank for saving my brother and I."_

" _I will always protect you. It's a promise!"_

" _Such a goody-goody, Clark..."_

" _M–i–os! Ma–r-el! __**Look out!**__"_

' *&^%^..!' My mind formed an instant strand of curses as I rolled away from the painful rays, hands covering my eyes to soothe them with comforting darkness. 'That is so going to blind me into next week..!'

But I had to get up, I had to move. Who knows how much time has passed while I was unconscious? For all I knew it was morning already, and the others would be arriving any moment.

When I made to push myself up into a sitting position, I had also braced myself for any oncoming pain I was sure was coming, and felt my eyes widen when I felt nothing. 'Eh..?' Confused, I gave my upper body parts some experimental twists and turns. What was going on?

" _Master!"_

A small 'oomph' left my mouth as an expectant bundle all but plowed into me in a tight glomp. " Careful Azra, humans are fragile." I cautioned, yet said this with a teasing lit. " Are you alright? Any injuries? You took a direct hit into that wall–"

"–_Dragons bodies are built to withstand most frontal and physical for our chosen companions." _The fledgling answered, tilting it's head to meet my eyes with it's own crimson orbs. _" Something like that won't slow me down for long."_

" It's the so..." I demurred with a small sigh. " Anyway, thank you for your help earlier. That distraction really helped." The small reptile let out a happy ' kuu' and burrowed it's snout into my clothed stomach, earning a small laugh from me.

_Roooaaarr..!_

The hideous growl, although coming from so far off in distance, sounded too close for comfort due to it bouncing off the cavern walls; I flinched from the noise and scrambled to my feet while using the ancient sword as support.

" I think we should get moving." I said as I took a few steps back and glanced nervously at the dark tunnel behind us. " I don't know if we killed the skeleton thing or not, but I'm not to eager to stick around and find out."

Azra nodded in response and gave a couple mighty flaps of her over-sized wings, having no trouble in keeping up as I took off like my life depended on it along the route in front of me. It wasn't until we were a good lengthy distance away that I noticed that I had taken the relic weapon with me.

" Oh yeah! Azra, do you know anything about this sword?" I questioned, holding it up for the dragon to see. The fledgling edged closer, turning it's back so it faced me and the sword while it continued to fly backwards. Quite an amazing feat if you ask me...

" _No, I'm afraid not._" Azra responded sadly. " _This sword is fairly old, dating back for hundreds of years. I've only been born recently, so I have no knowledge on such a weapon."_

" It's alright, don't look so down." I attempted to cheer up the young dragon. " But this sword is really odd.. I think it casted some kind of magic on me. I don't feel exhausted at all."

" _Could it of healed you? Now that you mention it, I don't see many wounds that demon inflicted on you in our previous battle..."_

" I know. I noticed that it was shining , and when I reached out to touch it it gave off a bright flash. The next thing I knew, I didn't feel anymore pain. At least not a great deal."

" _A sword with magical properties... That's quite rare to see_." Azra said as we came to a stop for a quick

breather. " _There aren't many weapons– practically none at all, that are able to use magic to aid it's wielder."_

" Oh really..?" I panted, leaning a hand against a dirt wall.

" _Yes. As far as I know, this blade resembles weapons similar to the ones that were wielded back 4000 years ago, by the Heros of The Kharlan Wars themselves." _

' Hmm, now that is interesting.' I held the sword aloft for observation. ' Now who could you have belong too? Yuan wields this doubled-ended sword weapon... Martel used a staff-based weapon... And I don't know what Mithos used back then. Could it be Kratos?'

" _Master!"_

" What?" I finally noticed that Azra had stopped when I was a good several feet away from where she was, hovering in front of what looked like a rough patch job of a wooden wall. I quickly backtracked and joined the baby dragon.

" _It's looks like we might be get out through here,"_ The fledgling nodded toward a couple loosened wooden boards that was letting in a great deal of sunlight. _" Why don't you use the new item we acquired?_"

" U-Use the sword? Azra are you serious?" I yelped in surprise. " There's no way I know how to use a sword properly, much less a magically one! I might end up killing us both!"

" _Calm down, Master." _Was it just me, or did Azra sound amused? _" Simply using it to cut through a weak wooden wall isn't going to make it self-destruct on us. Just take deeps breaths and focus."_

I expelled a long sigh I had been holding and did just that, but I couldn't help but still feel anxious. Swords were powerful and dangerous things for humans to wield. And this sword in particular made the hairs on the back of my neck stand. Was I just paranoid? I hoped so...

' Alright, here we go..!' I pinched my eyes shut and stabbed towards my desired target, certain that the moment that the blade made contact it would go off.

_CRRAACK!_

" _See? There you go!" _Azra praised me like a mother would to her child. I threw a look in her direction before turning back to yanked the sword from the wood. _" But we'd better hurry, the sun is beginning to make it's ascent to higher sky."_

" Are you sure..? Shit!" I cursed, tossing the ancient sword through the narrow opening before Akiva followed

it. " Let's move Azra!" I stood back and waited for the reptile to flew through first, then made to follow my dragon companion.

" _KYAAAA!"_

" _What was that Master?"_ Azra questioned curiously, catching the high-pitched human scream that was followed by a gigantic crash that carried through the cavern walls with her sensitive hearing.

" Something I didn't want to hear." I replied grimly, slinging my damaged bow and quiver over my shoulder, but stopped in the process of reaching for the old sword as well. " Now just am I going to hide this? I can't exactly go walking into town without attracting attention with this thing!"

As if to answer, the weapon that laid discarded at my feet gave off another bright flash, similar to the one minutes before, and began to eerily float in the air in front of me by some unknown force. Inch by inch the blade was devoured by a blinding light.

' What the.. hell?' I took a uncertain and nervous step back as the sword rearranged it's position in mid-air, a position that made me swallowing a sudden urge to bolt. My breath hitched when even stranger red markings began to write themselves over the battle object. Beside me Azra flew closer, her little body hunched up in a protective stance as she scrunched her face in a dangerous snarl. Honestly? It sounded very close to a cat's warning growl.

' Okay..' I continued to take several small steps back even as the sword followed to keep the distance short. ' Now would be a good time to ru–'

That's when it came. It was quick, and not as painful as I had originally thought. Nonetheless, my body sank to the ground as if all the energy holding it up had just vanished, the ancient weapon which had impaled itself in my navel continued to sink further in. If anyone had been around at that time, they would've noticed how oddly that the tip of the sword did not exit from my back like it should have, and that the lines that rode the blade spread all over my entire body like a virus.

" _M-Master!" _Light shone for a brief moment in Azra's direction, before the human verison of the young fledgling threw herself down to the ground floor next to me, her small face conveying her worry and concern she must of been feeling. " Master! Can you hear me?"

"...!" I gasped weakly in reply, hands gripping my forearms tightly as if attempting to keep something in. My whole body was beginning to beat like a heart beat, convulsing wildly in it's battle to keep out the intruder. But it was no use as the weapon finished fusing with my being with a great push of force, one that had me reeling back a foot or so from my original spot; Azra let out a hoarse cry of distress upon seeing the action.

A grunt exited my mouth automatically when my back smashed into the trunk of a nearby tree. But as moments passed, my body began to rapidly recover control over itself and the feeling of dread evaporated; curiously I brought a shaky hand up in front of my face and flexed it experimentally. This is.. odd.

" Master..?" Dead leafs crunched under Azra's small feet as she made her way over.

" I don't know what that was..." I began in answer, using the tree to support myself as I got to my feet. " And I don't want to know. We should get moving."

The young draco nodded slowly to show her reluctance on letting the subject go so easily, but hurried to catch up with me as I broke into a jog towards the mountain path exit.

A breeze of fresh, yet salty hinted air greeted me as I stepped out into the open fields just outside of Izoold. I stopped and took a minute to inhale a deep breath to relax my tired body. " The sea, huh? It's been a few years since I've been to the sea." But unfortuntely I wasn't attached to it like other people might've been when they were younger, and for a good reason too. I was afraid of the water.

" _Izoold is just up ahead, Master_." Another brief burst of light happened behind me before Azra draped herself on my shoulders, using her tail to keep a steady grip on my neck so she wouldn't fall as I walked. " _Shall we go ahead and enter? Or should we wait here for the others?_"

" Let's wait for them at the Inn." I answered as I picked up my feet and headed towards the settlement. " I'm dead tired, and I'm pretty sure Lloyd and the others won't reach us right away anyway."

" _Why_?"

" Oh, just a feeling."

The moment I entered the territory of the small fishing settlement a particular powerful gust of wind carrying the scent smacked me in the face, enticing a loud and head-rattling sneeze out of me. Never liked sea-food.

" Let's check into the Inn first before wondering off." I muttered more to myself then to Azra, shifting through a small crowd of people in front of the designated building.

" _Anything in mind?_"

" Well, I have to restock on my arrows and food before anything else. After that we should focus on finding someone who can take us over to Palmacosta." I shifted my weight to my other foot as I opened the door the the building. A woman close in age to my mother greeted me almost the moment I stepped in.

" Welcome!" A warm smile stretched her face, but it faded slightly upon taking in my slightly battered and dirty appearance. " My goodness! What on earth happened to you, dearie?"

" Just some a run-in with a nasty monster." I answered with a polite smile. Her motherly concern reminded me of my own mother, and I found myself forcing back a pang of homesickness.

" Goodness." The woman tsked, circling me while batting away dirt that still clung to my clothes. " And you look so young, too! Traveling about in this day and age is dangerous..."

Her last sentence died off abruptly and her hand stilled; I made to look over my shoulder when the kind woman found her voice again, this time her tone an octave sharper.

" Just what on earth did you get into? Your hurt!"

Huh? But didn't that sword heal me not to long ago? Unless I was wrong and it did something completely

opposite...

" Ah, this?" I found myself twisting around to see the supposed injury the inn-keeper was staring at. " Huh, I didn't see that..."

" Come here."

A small gasp exited my throat as the woman gripped my arm and pulled me over to what looked like a sink and counter, surprised when she gently but firmly pushed me down into a spare chair and turned the water on, soaking a small handkerchief.

" Goodness, kids these days..." The inn-keeper muttered under her breath as she knelt down next to my injured arm, pressing the damp cloth to the bloodied area of skin, ignoring my gasp of shock and pain from the treatment. I bit my lip to hold back a whimper of pain and looked down at my bandaged hand; If I took it off now, I'm pretty sure the gash I obtained from my fight with the group of monsters from the other day would split open again. Since I couldn't heal with myself with healing arts (anything mana-based made me sick), I had to patch myself up the normal way and for it to heal naturally on it's own.

" I see you hurt yourself previously on the same arm," The older woman had followed my line of gaze and tsked upon seeing the state of the limb. Finished with cleaning the dirt and old blood from my most current injury, she bent down and retrieved a roll of bandages from a small box filled with medical supplies next to her. " If your not careful missy, you'll end up unable to use this arm entirely."

I made a sheepish noise of agreement, knowing very well that the journey I had before me was most likely going to be a long one, and I had already injured myself twice within a week.

" There we go!" I jerked myself back to attention when I heard the woman speak again, satisfaction coating her tone completely as she rose to her feet again with the medical box in hand. Feeling slightly surprised, I glanced down at my arm and touched the bandaged area with hesitant fingers. That was fast.

" Ah, thank ma'am-"

" There's no need to be polite, missy. Just call me Flora. Everyone around here does."

" Alright then..." I pushed to my feet as well and held a hand out to the older woman. " My name is Beverly. But my friends call me Bev."

" It's nice to me you, Beverly." Flora gripped my hand with her own and used the other to pat my limb gently. The gesture felt motherly, and with a slight pang I released she looked similar to my own parent. " Your such a sweet child.. Where are you from?"

" Iselia."

" Iselia? What are you doing all the way out here, if you don't mind me asking?"

" I'm traveling with a group of friends, but we seperated for certain reasons so I came here to wait for them. We need to get to Palamacosta and thought that coming to Izoold would and taking a boat would be easier."

" Well, usually in normal circumstances I would tell you coming here was the right idea, but.." Flora paused by a window that had a view of the ocean. " Nowadays it's simply too dangerous to travel through those waters."

" Why? Is it because of the recent increase in monsters?"

" No, if it's a monster problem we can just hire a group of adventures to protect the boats when they go out." She gestured for me to join her at the window. " Come and take a look."

Azra perched herself on my shoulder again as I crossed the room and stopped next to Flora, doing as she requested and bent down to get a better peek out the window. But what I saw was not what was expected: further out to see the clouds above the water were unusually dark and grouped together. But what unnerved me the worst was how low the clouds were, stirring up the waters that were surely to rough for any boat to handle.

" Because of that storm, we can't even go out to catch our daily fish, let alone go to Palamacosta to sell them." I looked back, startled by the sudden appearance of a young man at the front door of the inn. He looked around my age, probably a couple years older. He stood at a height of 5'9" with brown-black hair, part of it hanging partially in his face to conceal one of his emerald eyes.

" Oh, welcome back Leo!" I heard Flora greet from beside me cheerfully. " You worried me there for a minute, coming back home a day late."

Leo, who's face had been a similar expression of Kratos's, smiled slightly at the older woman's ethusistic welcome and revealed his handsome features. " I'm back.. Mother."

" Actually, you have good timing, my boy." I made a face of surprise when Flora grabbed my uninjured arm and pulled me with her (again) towards the older boy. " This missy here needs to get to Palmacosta, but with that calamity going on about out in the middle of the ocean, it's too dangerous go that way. Could you do this old woman a favor and take her through the mountain path?"

I glanced towards Flora in surprise as did Leo, though his was a little more concealed.

" I don't suppose I would mind. But are you sure of this Mother? The mountain path has gotten a lot more dangerous because of the monsters. An little girl like this would get eaten in no time."

Upon hearing the last part of his sentence, I couldn't help but raise imaginary hackles and glare darkly in the

older guy's direction. It's true I was an amateur when it came to battle, but he didn't have to put that way! Jerk.

" Now Leo, don't be that way!" The older woman scolded the young man in my defense. " She's come all this way on her own from Iselia with only a few scratches. And look at her eyes! There's all the proof you'd ever need right there."

Brief silence fell over the room for the first minute or so before Leo broke it with the sound of his boots against the wooden floor as he crossed over to where I stood, startling the hell out of me when he down to look right into my eyes, just as his mother suggested. But feeling I was being tested, I firmed myself and looked straight back at the older boy with what I hoped was a glare.

Several moments seemed to pass by as we both stood there in with what seemed like a death-lock. Finally, Leo straightened himself and let out what seemed like a deep-sigh with a hint of exasperation laced in.

" Fine. Just don't expect me to play babysitter while we're together."

I kept my glare as the dark-haired young man walked away and out the open front door of the inn, waiting for the sound of chinking from his sword to fade before turning back to Flora.

" I'm sorry about that, Leo's not usually this rude. It's just with this storm–"

" It's okay, Flora. Really." I smiled in reassurance at the woman when she continued to look worried. " So, how long has this 'storm' been going?"

" For almost a full week. At first it didn't seem too bad, but ever since the day of the oracle passed, it looks like it's spreading towards the main land, but we can't be too sure. We have a watchman keeping a eye on it all the same."

A full week. If I'm right, then this 'storm' started the same day I appeared in this world. This couldn't just be a bad concidence.. Could it?

" Thanks for all your help, Flora." I reached out and shook the older woman's hand, making her smile and pat my hand again.

" Not a problem, missy. Now you hustle on now, Leo doesn't have the greatest of patience. Inherited that from his daddy, I'm afraid."

" So, what do think Azra?"

" _Of that storm? Or that arrogant twit of a human?"_

That last bit of the fledgling's sentence made my lips twitch into a ghost of a smile as I browsed through the small selection of items at the one of few vendors that was located on the other side of the small fishing town, on the docks. " The storm."

" _The inn-keeper was right about the storm being unnatural." _Azra perched herself on a nearby fence. " _I don't feel the slightest presence of mana in those clouds. Not even a monster."_

I paused, glancing back at my companion in a brief moment of surprise before turning back to accept the bag from the seller. I waited until Azra hopped back on my shoulder and we were a few feet away from ears until I spoke again.

" A monster? Why would you be looking for a monster?"

" _Sometimes monsters, preferably huge, strong ones, clash with each other over territory. If one of the monster's holds an insane amount of mana in it's body, the use of that mana during battle can cause unnatural occurrences in nature, like the one this town's experiencing_."

" Hmm..." I stopped on one of the unoccupied docks and narrowed my eyes for a better look at the storm. " And you say you feel any mana in the air, right? I guess that rules out the possibility of this being a caused by a monster."

" _Right._"

" Are you certain of that?" Leo's voice, sharp with suspicion and surprise, came from behind me and had me whirling around to face the older boy. His unhindered emerald eye narrowed on Azra as she hunched herself in warning. " Isn't that.. A dragon?"

After that last bit of sentence I felt my shoulder tingle. Looking up, I felt my heart pound up in my throat when I saw Azra hunched with her wings spread and fangs bared threateningly. What on earth..?

But before I had a chance to ponder or calm down the fledgling, Leo enclosed a hand over my arm (which unfortunately was my injured one) and pulled me with him as he made his way to another dock, this one seeming further out then the others with a small, two person sail boat (think of the boat Link uses in _Windwaker_, except more normal looking) docked there.

At the end of the pier, the older boy released my arm in favor of bringing a hand up to his mouth and letting out a piercing whistle. We waited for a moment or two in silence before anything happened.

' Hm? What's that?' A moving form caught my eye as I had been favoring my aching arm, moving at an incredible speed that sent the waters flying up in a wave as the being passed over ocean. Finally, it came to a stop in front of Leo, letting out a happy sounding chirp before landing on his outstretched arm.

After a few quiet words with the creature, Leo turned around to face me again. " Take a good look here. This is Kaze, a winged-dragon."

At the word 'winged-dragon' Azra seemed to calm down considerably, folding her wings and crawling down my arm (so I was forced to hold it out like Leo) as to get a better look at the creature who looked a lot similar to Azra.

" I've been waiting for this." I looked up when the dark-haired young man began to speak again, his single eye focused on my partner as she leaned forward to touch snouts with the other dragon.

" Waiting?"

" Yes. Ever since I..." But Leo seemed to catch himself from saying important and straightened, returning his gaze to me as Kaze settled onto his shoulder as Azra usually did. " Look, why don't we go back to the inn for now? There's some things we should discuss before we go any further." And with that, Leo brushed past me with a swish of his traveling cape and disappeared into a crowd of people, leaving me to blink in confusion.

" Okay... so now what?" I asked Azra as she mimicked Kaze's earlier action. But the young dragon was strangely silent, as if still contemplating over something. Feeling even more lost, I decided to heed the older boy's advice and turned around, intent on heading straight back for the inn for what sounded like important conversation.

" Oiiiii! Bev!"

Recognizing the voice immediately, I couldn't help be grin as I spun around and wave at the owner. But that smile faded slightly when I notice that everyone looked a little bit roughened up. Even the mighty mercenary.

" Good to see you in one piece." Raine commented with a small smile as everyone gathered around me.

" E-Eh? What to you mean by that?" I grunted slightly as Colette practically tackled me with a hug. " And what happened to you guys?"

" Ah, you remember the Ryu guy, right?" Genis replied, exchanging glances with Lloyd. " Well, he decided he wasn't done with us and ambushed us at Ossa Trail."

" And he wasn't alone." His sister continued. " He and another assassin jumped us as we were descending the trail."

" Really? I'm glad you all are alright."

" Yes. But we should be careful to avoid from now on." Kratos finally spoke. " The less encounters, the more safe the Chosen is."

The others nodded in agreement before turning their heads towards me. " So, did you find someone who could take us to Palmacosta?" Lloyd asked curiously.

" Ah, about that..." I spent the next several minutes explaining on what had happened with me so far (excluding my little fall into the mine and the sword), wrapping up the conversation by requesting to head to the inn.

" Someone's waiting for me there." I answered when Raine raised an eyebrow. " He can tell us more about the situation with the storm. I was about to go meet him before you guys showed up."

" Very well then. Let's go meet this Leo." The mercenary agreed for everyone before taking the lead, the others following after while I stood behind for a few moments longer.

Sigh... why did I have a feeling this was going to get a lot more complicated then it needed to be?

" I see.." Raine stood in her 'professor' pose as she examined the storm from the window with thoughtful

eyes. Leo stood beside her. " So you say this storm started almost a week ago? Interesting..."

" Is there a way to get through it?" Lloyd pipped up from the back.

Genis stared at his best friend like he had grown a second head. " Are you stupid, Lloyd? To try to go through a storm like that is suicide! We'd be lucky to even to reach the eye of the storm in one piece!"

" Then is there another way?" Colette asked, looking up from where she was playing with a stray kitten.

" Well, yes there is, but..." Flora, who seemed to cheerful to answer earlier, looked a bit pale. " Normally when a seasonal storm occurs, we usually take a mountain path that takes us to a forest area near _, but a little after the little missy left we received word that dragon riders have been spotted near there, so it's a little to dangerous..."

I winced. At this point, fighting dragon riders (armored warriors riding a armored two-legged reptile) would be risky, seeing as even if you manage to knock the rider off of the dragon monster, it still made itself a formiable opponet. The warrior was annoying too. Try to focus on the beast, and the tamer gets you in the back.

Leo's eyes seemed to widen for the merest of seconds before he closed them and folded his arms in thought. " Then there really is no choice..."

This seemed to catch everyone's attention. " No choice?" Genis echoed. Even Raine turned away from her observation of the storm to listen.

But Leo said nothing. Instead, he turned...

...and locked eyes with me.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Here's that tenth's chapter!

*gasp* I actually got to the DOUBLE digits! That's pretty amazing me for. Usually I keep revising it or get tired and just give up. I might actually complete this!

Anyway, what think's going happen with Bev? And how much more trouble do you think this Ryu's gonna cause?

Please review and let me know!

Bre17


	11. author note

Author's Note: 

_Hello everyone! I know, I know, it's been "forever" again since I posted anything. Being an adult isn't as convient and fun as I thought it would be when I was a kid. Work and reponsibility come first, leaving me with little free time. And my inspiration has been low, so I haven't been making the effort to write like I want. I decided to write fiction on what I'm currently interested in to get it running again._

Case Closed: Gaidansu

Kudo Yoshiko returns home to find her beloved younger brother, a 2nd year high schooler by the name of Shinichi, missing. Instead, a young boy appears in his place. Has her past caught up?

Demon Royalty From Today Onwards

Being one of the heirs of a prophesised demon king? Shibuya Yuna thought her life was hard enough already being a twin...

_So? What do you think? I should have samples up in the next day or two, seeing as I just finished my term for the summer._

_Let me know your opinion!_

_PS: Girls Generation finally came out with their japanese single! ^_^  
_


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